Regional blocs from Eastern and Southern Africa have appointed former leaders from Ethiopia, Kenya, and Nigeria to lead peace efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where violence has escalated in the east.
The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have recently joined forces to address the conflict in eastern DRC, where the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group has taken control of vast areas, worsening the humanitarian crisis.
At a summit on February 8, the two blocs agreed to merge the separate peace processes previously based in Luanda and Nairobi to create a unified approach to the crisis.
In a statement released late Monday, they announced the appointment of former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo as facilitators of the new peace process.
The primary objectives include an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire,” the provision of humanitarian aid, and securing Goma’s airport, a key strategic location taken by M23.
The statement also mentioned that the EAC and SADC would convene a ministerial meeting on Friday to finalize details of the ceasefire. A previous ceasefire call from the February 8 summit has so far failed to take effect.
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