DR Congo Crisis : Three Former Leaders To Mediate

Eighteen days after the holding of a joint East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Summit, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, ex-Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn have been appointed as co-facilitators for the merged Luanda-Nairobi peace process in the DRC. Their appointment follows a latest regional mediation mechanism brokered by the two regional blocs over the security crisis in the eastern DRC. A joint statement issued by Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, chair of SADC and Kenya’s President William Ruto chair of EAC stipulates that, « the warring factions in the Congo are now required to a cease-fire, and attend peace talks whenever they are called upon ». 
On February 8, 2025, the EAC and the SADC held a joint Summit, proposed merging the Nairobi Process, an EAC-initiated mechanism led by Kenyatta, with the Luanda Process, a parallel peace mechanism initiated by the African Union and brokered by Angolan President Joao Lourenco. The two regional blocs also announced a ministerial meeting scheduled on February 28, 2025 while calling on the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group that has captured multiple major cities in the DRC, to cease any further advancements and abide by an immediate ceasefire. The decision on facilitators is both a compromise and meant to address the trust deficit that had existed in the last one year. The Luanda process mediated by Angolan President Joao Lourenco, was meant to address tension between Rwanda and DRC. While ex-President Kenyatta’s Nairobi process was meant to bring armed group to the table for dialogue with the DRC government un...