shloboe boe
Rumbidzayi Zinyuke, Harare Bureau
SADC Heads of State and Government are set to meet in Harare today for an Extraordinary Summit to deliberate on the escalating security situation in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
SADC Executive Secretary, Mr Elias Magosi, yesterday met President Mnangagwa at State House to brief him on the agenda of today’s Summit.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Mr Magosi expressed concern over the ongoing conflict in the DRC.
“We’re paying a courtesy call on His Excellency as the chairperson of SADC. He will be chairing the Extraordinary SADC meeting tomorrow (today) to discuss matters of Eastern DRC, which is a worrying situation. So, I was just briefing him on the preparations for the meeting tomorrow and the agenda that will be covered,” he said.
“At this point, I can say it’s concerning (the conflict) because we have lost lives, certainly, and we feel that our troops should be protected. The Excellences will discuss the details and provide guidance at the end of the summit.”
The SADC Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (SAMIDRC) was deployed on December 15, 2023 to support the Government of the DRC to restore peace and security in eastern DRC, which has witnessed an increase in conflicts and instability caused by the resurgence of armed groups.
The Summit comes after the Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Organ Troika plus the DRC and Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), which was held on January 28, chaired by Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security Co-operation.
It will be preceded by meetings of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the Sadc Council of Ministers.
The death toll from the combat between peacekeeping soldiers and M23 rebels in eastern Congo had reached 17 as of Tuesday.
This included 13 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers and others from Malawi and Uruguay deployed as part of the SADC regional force or under the UN mission in Congo (MONUSCO).
M23 has rapidly advanced towards Goma, a city of over one million people, in the past few weeks.
To date, more than 400 000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu, near the Rwandan border.
The East African Community (EAC) on Wednesday held an Extraordinary Summit to discuss the situation in the DRC following which the EAC Chairperson, President William Ruto of Kenya, said he would consult with the SADC Chairperson (President Mnangagwa) on the urgency of a joint Summit.
Mr Magosi, however, said no formal communication had been made by the EAC for the joint Summit to be considered.
“Until a formal communication comes our way, then we will consider that, and I believe, our leaders will make a determination on whether it’s something that can take root or not. At this point we don’t have anything that is formal from the EAC,” he said.
The Extraordinary SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government will be preceded by the Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit, which will be Chaired by HE Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, President of Zanzibar and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council representing Her Excellency Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan, the President of the United Republic of Tanzania and Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics Defence and Security Co-operation.
The Summit will be preceded by meetings of SADC Senior Officials, the Ministerial Committee of the Organ on Politics Defence and Security Co-operation and the SADC Council and Council of Ministers.
