from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – FOR the umpteenth time, regional leaders are meeting this week (today, Monday) to address the ceaseless crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of (DRC).
They are meeting virtually under the heads of state and government of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Presidents William Ruto (Kenya), chairperson of the EAC, and Emmerson Mnangagwa, chairperson of SADC, will co-chair the meeting.
“The joint Summit will deliberate on the report presented during the Joint EAC-SADC Ministerial Meeting held on 17 March 2025 in Harare, Zimbabwe,” SADC stated ahead of the meeting.
Ruto confirmed that in Windhoek, Namibia, last Friday, he held talks with Mnangagwa and they agreed to consult and eventually call a virtual meeting between the two regional blocs to discuss the DRC crisis.
He said EAC and SADC were “firmly committed” to implementing the resolutions of our joint summit held last month in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on the escalating conflict.
“Our primary focus is to address the crisis and deliver lasting peace,” he said.
However, analysts have lost faith in these blocs finding a solution to the crisis perpetrated by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group that the United Nations says are backed by Rwanda.
Numerous summits before this one have been held but the crisis continues to deteriorate.
Theologian, Symphorien Jean, said it was unfortunate that SADC failed to rescue the DRC from “a predatory coalition of Kagame-Museveni-Ruto.”
Recently, SADC announced the withdrawal of its forces from DRC after significant losses.
The so-called coalition Jean was referring to is Presidents Paul Kagame (Rwanda), Yoweri Museveni (Uganda) and Ruto (Kenya).
While the UN says Rwanda backs the M23 with equipment, Kenya and Uganda are seen as taking the side of Rwanda in the DRC’s conflict with M23.
“Imagine William Ruto chairing a summit discussing the DRC’s fate. Very unfortunate indeed. We do not expect anything good from where EAC is involved,” Jean expressed doubt.
James Carlos Dala, political analyst, described such meetings as useless.
“These hopeless and aimless meetings are a waste of public money and I know you (politicians) create them to siphon something from your respective treasuries. I wish you had human hearts,” he said.
Blaise Pascal Furaha, a Congolese medical expert, said, “These meetings are wasting precious time to set free the DRC. Not helping at all.”
“The conclusions are the same bla-bla-bla packs of good intentions. No coercive measures are taken against DRC sovereignty invasion by rebels,” Furaha added.
Last week’s meeting between Kagame and his DRC counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, in Qatar however raises hopes of a breakthrough.
DRC, the resources-rich country of over 111 million, is a member of EAC, SADC and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS).
– CAJ News