Presidents William Ruto and Emmerson Mnangagwa are co-chairing critical peace talks in Nairobi to address violent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The joint East African Community (EAC)–Southern African Development Community (SADC) meeting began on Friday with a renewed push for a coordinated political solution to the crisis in North and South Kivu.
The meeting follows a wave of attacks by armed groups, including the M23 militia, which seized Goma and Bukavu earlier this year. These developments have forced over 100,000 people to flee and reignited regional tensions across the Great Lakes.
President Ruto the EAC chair, and President Mnangagwa, the SADC chair, are leading discussions that aim to unify regional strategies, assess past peace efforts, and outline a new timeline for mediation under a joint framework.
Speaking during the opening session, President Ruto said, “A sustainable solution to the crisis in eastern DRC must prioritize political inclusion and regional stability. Military action alone cannot resolve deep-rooted grievances.”
The Nairobi meeting includes a high-level briefing with the newly expanded panel of facilitators appointed in March after Angola formally stepped back from mediation through the Luanda Process. The current panel features former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, former Central African Republic leader Catherine Samba-Panza, and former presidents Hon Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (Kenya), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), and Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa).
According to Kenya’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Zewde, Samba-Panza, and African Union Commission Chair Mahamoud Ali Youssouf were among the first delegates to arrive in Nairobi Thursday evening.
The joint summit builds on outcomes from a Harare ministerial forum held earlier this year. That meeting produced a roadmap outlining steps to stabilize eastern Congo through improved security coordination, demobilization of armed groups, humanitarian access, and long-term political reform.
The eastern DRC has faced decades of instability fueled by militia activity, ethnic rivalries, and competition for control of natural resources. Armed groups have taken advantage of weak governance and porous borders to entrench themselves in rural territories. Over 120 armed groups are currently active in the region, according to security assessments shared with the summit.
In early 2025, M23 fighters advanced rapidly across North and South Kivu, capturing key cities despite ongoing military operations by Congolese forces. Their resurgence has drawn condemnation and prompted urgent calls for a diplomatic reset.
Kenya has hosted multiple rounds of EAC-led peace talks, most recently in Nairobi in late 2024, where Congolese government officials met representatives of armed factions under regional oversight.
“The people of Congo cannot wait any longer,” President Mnangagwa said at Friday’s closed-door briefing. “This summit must set clear steps toward an inclusive and peaceful future for the region.”
The Nairobi meeting is expected to produce a revised implementation calendar for the peace roadmap and a follow-up summit before the end of the year. Delegates will also evaluate the humanitarian situation, which has worsened amid the fighting, and discuss strategies to ensure aid access to conflict-affected communities.
As diplomatic channels reopen, regional leaders are under pressure to deliver results. With the credibility of both EAC and SADC on the line, this summit marks a pivotal moment for the continent’s approach to one of its most protracted conflicts.
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