SADC pushes for DR Congo to regain full control

By, Wallace Ruzvidzo, HARARE Zimbabwe

SADC is working towards ensuring that the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)’s central government regains full control of the country, hence the convening of a joint Extraordinary Summit between the regional bloc and the East African Community (EAC) in Tanzania on Saturday, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.

The Zimbabwean President, who is the chair of SADC and his EAC counterpart, Kenyan President William Ruto, will co-chair the joint summit that will tackle the deteriorating security situation in the DRC, which is a member of both regional bodies.

When asked by the media at State House in Harare yesterday if history continued to repeat itself in the DRC, President Mnangagwa said “not really” but both SADC and EAC would continue with efforts that would see “one voice in one country”.

“Not really, the DRC has always been faced with challenges of this nature. Besides, it is a vast country, and one would want to see a central government that is in full control of that vast country, that is the first step, I think. currently, you have various authorities speaking differently in the same country…I do not think that is the best to have in a sovereign country.” He said.

“So as we meet as both SADC and the East African Community, we will probe that (question) and see whether it is possible to make sure there is one voice in one country.” Mnangagwa emphasized.

The SADC Chairman said it would be more productive if all parties involved in the crisis attend the Extraordinary Summit.

President Mnangagwa will lead a Double Troika, plus the Troop Contributing countries to the joint summit, that he will co-chair with President Ruto.

“…I believe that it will be most fruitful if all the parties to the issue (security situation in DRC) are present. It does not help to discuss matters with some of the participants being absent. So, it is my belief that my dear brother will invite them,” said President Mnangagwa.

According to earlier reports, President Ruto said both DRC’s President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame have agreed to attend the Summit.

DRC accuses Rwanda of backing rebels in the mineral resource country, charges which the latter has denied.

President Ruto, in a statement earlier this week, also confirmed that he had engaged South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni and other leaders to be part of the process.

Clashes between government forces and rebel groups have left an estimated 900 civilians dead, displacing tens of thousands more.

The recent fighting in eastern DRC, which has been dogged by conflict for more than 30 years since the 1994 Rwandan genocide, has also claimed 20 soldiers from the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), Tanzania and Malawi, who form part of the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC).

As rebel forces gained the upper hand on the battlefield, capturing much of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, South Africa responded with a stern diplomatic warning. The South African government stated that any further attacks on its troops would be regarded as a “declaration of war.”

In a swift rebuttal, Rwanda’s President Kagame accused South Africa of acting as part of a “belligerent force.” He claimed that South African troops were engaged in “offensive combat operations” to support the Congolese government in its fight against its own citizens.