The Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) have made progress in addressing the security crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A joint summit held in Dar es Salaam on February 8, 2025, brought together regional leaders to coordinate peace efforts.
Chaired by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who leads SADC, and Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the EAC, the summit resulted in the appointment of three key facilitators: former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn. Their role is to unify previous mediation efforts under the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes to enhance stability in eastern DRC.
Preparatory meetings for military coordination took place on February 21, 2025. EAC Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDFs) convened in Nairobi, while their SADC counterparts met in Dar es Salaam to assess security concerns. These discussions laid the groundwork for a joint CDF meeting on February 24, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, followed by a ministerial-level gathering on February 28, 2025.
Key directives from the summit include enforcing an immediate ceasefire, delivering humanitarian assistance, securing key supply routes, and stabilizing Goma and its surrounding areas. Armed groups, including M23, have been urged to adhere to the ceasefire agreement reached at the summit to support ongoing peace efforts.