President William Ruto chaired a high-level consultative meeting at State House, Nairobi on Friday, bringing together leaders and stakeholders from the East African Community (EAC), Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the African Union (AU) to chart a path toward lasting peace in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The meeting seeks to review progress and chart the path for lasting peace and security in Eastern DRC.
The head of state emphasized the urgency of collective action, saying, “Our resolve to end war, loss of life and ensure comprehensive humanitarian assistance in the DRC made a leap forward when the Heads of State of the two regional blocs appointed five facilitators in our joint effort for this endeavour.”
According to President Ruto, an African-led, inclusive and well-coordinated peace process is the most effective path to silencing the guns and restoring lasting stability in the Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
However, the African Union, the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community are united in the determination to secure and restore sustainable peace in Eastern DRC.
“This process is not in conflict with other efforts such as the Doha and Washington initiatives. In fact, the progress made through this African-led initiative now offers a solid framework for aligning the Washington Accord and the Qatar Agreement within a unified continental approach.” Ruto added
The meeting agreed on the terms of reference of the five facilitators, the merger of secretariats of the AU Commission, EAC and SADC under the African Union, the AUC informs all Member States on the resolutions of the meeting and an EAC-SADC summit be convened in a week.
