Sunday February 9, 2025
Mogadishu (HOL) – Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud participated in an extraordinary summit of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on Saturday.
The summit focused on finding solutions to the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has seen a surge in violence and displacement.
The meeting was convened with leaders from the eight-nation EAC and the 16-member SADC to coordinate efforts to restore stability in the mineral-rich but conflict-prone region.
President Mohamud underscored the summit’s importance, emphasizing Somalia’s commitment as a member of the United Nations Security Council to promoting African-led solutions to regional crises.
“The conflict in eastern DRC is a humanitarian disaster that requires immediate and sustained action to achieve lasting peace. Joint diplomacy between the EAC and SADC is critical in reducing tensions. Solutions must come through dialogue and mutual understanding, not warfare,” Mohamud said.
He reaffirmed Somalia’s support for the peace initiatives the two regional blocs spearheaded. He expressed the country’s readiness to contribute to reconciliation efforts, drawing on its own experience in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
The crisis in the eastern DRC has been fueled by the resurgence of the M23 armed group, which has rapidly seized large areas of territory, including the strategic city of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.
The group’s offensive has left thousands dead and displaced countless civilians, exacerbating an already dire humanitarian crisis. M23 is widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, though Kigali denies providing military support.
The group is now reportedly advancing toward Kavumu in South Kivu province, a town with a key airport critical to supplying Congolese forces. This escalation has added urgency to diplomatic efforts, with leaders at the summit calling for a coordinated approach to de-escalate the conflict and protect civilian lives.
