President William Ruto on the evening of Tuesday, April 1, chaired a virtual meeting with four key facilitators overseeing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process.
The discussions brought together former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, ex-Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo, Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde, and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza.
“Chaired a virtual meeting of facilitators of the merged Luanda-Nairobi peace process. The facilitators, who were appointed by East African Community and Southern African Development Community Heads of State, attended the meeting. They are former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), and Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic,” Ruto posted on X.
The meeting followed a directive from the joint East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit. However, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, who is also involved in the peace process, was absent from the discussions.
During a summit held on March 25 and co-chaired by President Ruto and Zimbabwe’s Emmerson Mnangagwa, the EAC and SADC resolved to appoint the five former leaders to spearhead peace efforts in the DRC.
The eastern region of the country has been plagued by rising violence, with armed M23 rebels advancing deeper into North Kivu province. The humanitarian situation continues to worsen, with the rebels seizing Goma, a key city that houses over a million residents.
The DRC government has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 group, a claim Kigali has denied. President Paul Kagame maintains that Rwandan forces have only acted in self-defense against Congolese troops and hostile militias operating near the border.
The peace process, led by the appointed facilitators, aims to de-escalate tensions and foster a long-term resolution to the conflict in the region.
