The EAC-SADC Summit has directed the integration of the Luanda and Nairobi peace processes to facilitate direct negotiations between Kinshasa, M23, and other non-state actors. Regional leaders emphasized that both processes are crucial and should be strengthened to complement each other.
Following recommendations from the EAC and SADC ministerial meeting, leaders affirmed that political and diplomatic engagement remains the best approach to resolving the DRC conflict. EAC Chairperson President William Ruto stressed that a military solution is not viable, urging a unified diplomatic strategy to address the root causes and uphold DRC’s sovereignty.
Ruto proposed merging efforts to create a single, coordinated initiative, minimizing duplication and competition. Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame criticized the peace processes for becoming more about their facilitators than actual results. The summit, in consultation with the African Union, tasked the co-chairs—former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and Angola’s President João Lourenço—with appointing additional facilitators to support the merged process.
Uhuru, in his report, called for the resumption of the sidelined Nairobi process, reaffirming its importance alongside the Luanda framework. He reiterated his commitment to working with DRC, regional partners, and international stakeholders to achieve lasting peace.
