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The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have expanded their mediation team for the Congo conflict following a virtual meeting on Monday.
In a renewed push for peace between DR Congo, the M23 rebels, and Rwanda, the two blocs appointed additional former heads of state to lead the negotiations.
Former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta and ex-Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo remain on the team, while former Ethiopian president Sahle-Work Zewde replaces Hailemariam Desalegn. The panel has also been expanded to include former South African president Kgalema Motlanthe and ex-Central African Republic president Catherine Samba-Panza, bringing the total number of mediators to five. The expansion aims to enhance “gender, regional, and language inclusivity,” according to a communiqué issued after the summit.
The changes follow Angola’s decision to step back from the mediation process, citing other commitments under its African Union mandate. Angola stated that it was shifting focus to broader continental priorities, including peace, infrastructure, economic development, and justice. It also pointed to repeated failed negotiations and external interference as key challenges.
Meanwhile, efforts to resolve the crisis suffered another setback on Monday when the M23 rebels reneged on their pledge to withdraw from Walikale, a town they had seized in eastern DR Congo. The rebels claimed that the Congolese army was continuing its offensive in the region, prompting them to hold their positions.
