Kenyatta, Obasanjo, Hailemariam to mediate crisis in DR Congo

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania

Three former African leaders have been appointed as facilitators of the latest regional mediation mechanism brokered by two regional blocs over the security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to a statement released late Monday.

The East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) jointly announced that they have designated former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and former Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn as the facilitators of their joint peace process in the DRC.

On Feb. 8, 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.

“All actors are urged to observe the ceasefire announced by the EAC-SADC summit, and the M23 and all other actors are called upon to cease any other advancements in eastern DRC and to observe and abide by an immediate ceasefire,” the blocs said in a joint statement.

Both peace mechanisms have faced setbacks. The Nairobi Process has reached an "impasse," according to a statement issued by Kenyatta's spokesperson Kanze Dena. A peace summit under the Luanda Process was abruptly canceled at the last minute in late December.

The mineral-rich eastern DRC remains a hotspot of conflict, with various groups vying for control over resources such as coltan, tin, tantalum, and gold.

Fighting in eastern Congo has led to the deaths of more than 7,000 people this year, Congo's Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the UN Human Rights Council on Monday.

More than 400,000 Congolese, mainly women and children, have arrived in neighboring Burundi since February for international protection, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported on Friday. In North Kivu, over 500,000 people were forced to flee their homes in January alone.

The rebel group has intensified its territorial control in eastern Congo since December, seizing the provincial capitals of Goma and Bukavu.