Former President Uhuru Kenyatta on Tuesday, April 1, 2025, attended a meeting chaired by President William Ruto.
Other facilitators also attended the virtual meeting held late on Tuesday, tasked to lead the peace process in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Apart from Uhuru, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo joined the meeting virtually.
Others were Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia) and Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic.
The meeting was convened following a directive from the joint East Africa Community (EAC) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC).
From the joint summit resolutions, the co-chairs were asked to call a briefing session with the facilitators within seven days to establish a roadmap for de-escalation of the DRC conflict.
“Chaired a virtual meeting of facilitators of the merged Luanda-Nairobi peace process. The facilitators, who were appointed by the East African Community and the Southern Africa Development Community Heads of State, attended the meeting,” Ruto’s statement read in part.
“They are former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia) and Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic,” it added.
South African misses
Ruto’s statement did not include former South African President Kgalema Motlanth.
Kgalema was in the list of those proposed by EAC and SADC to sit in the peace facilitation panel.
By the time of this publication, Johannesburg had clarified Kgalema’s position.
DRC situation
The Eastern DRC has been plagued by decades of violence involving armed groups, with recent clashes exacerbating humanitarian crises and displacing thousands. The summit reviewed reports from joint ministry and defence meetings, endorsing immediate and long-term measures to stabilise the region.
These efforts build on earlier resolutions by the African Union and the United Nations Security Council, which called for coordinated action to address the deteriorating security situation.
In a bid to reach the ceasefire deal the Nairobi and Luanda peace processes were merged.
This laid the groundwork for the current roadmap, which includes military, political, and diplomatic measures. In February, the UN Security Council further amplified pressure with Resolution 2773, demanding an end to hostilities and foreign armed group involvement.