DRC: African nations seek solution under strain
Days after the East African Community (EAC) met over the escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaders from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) also held an extraordinary summit on Friday just outside Harare, Zimbabwe, to discuss the recent developments in the region.
"Escalating hostilities in eastern Congo have created a dire situation. We meet here to seek a lasting solution to end the challenges facing the DRC people," Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa said in his opening statement at the meeting.
"People in eastern Congo have suffered for far too long. While we pause to mourn our loss, our resolve to ensure collective security cannot be shaken."
The Zimbabwean leader, who is currently chairing the rotating leadership of SADC, confirmed the bloc's commitment to peace in the DRC while stressing how the conflict in the mineral-rich area had started to weigh heavily on diplomatic relations throughout the region.
This comes after 13 SADC troops from South Africa and three from Malawi were killed last week in clashes with fighters belonging to the March-23 (M23) movement.
Most governments throughout the region – including South Africa – but also many in the Global North believe that M23 is propped up and supplied with weapons by the Rwandan government –........
© Deutsche Welle
