Ruto, EAC Appoints Uhuru in Panel to Lead DRC Peace Talks

Former president Uhuru Kenyatta has for the second time been appointed, together with other African leaders, to spearhead peace talks in the embattled Democratic Republic of Congo.

A high-level virtual summit held by EAC and SADC members and co-chaired by presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe arrived at a unilateral resolution to expedite the peace process by appointing an expanded panel of 5 facilitators. 

The panel draws eminent persons from across Africa, among them former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Kgalema Motlanthe of South Africa, Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, and Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic.

This panel follows the collapse of similar talks led by former president Uhuru Kenyatta in the Nairobi Peace Process, which died away without a clear outcome, facing controversies and a lack of commitment from warring parties.

The new talks mark renewed and hurried ambitions for peace in the Eastern DRC after a fresh round of invasion by M23 forces earlier this year, sparking heavy fighting with the DRC and allied forces. 

The ongoing conflict in the DRC has triggered a major humanitarian crisis, marked by death, famine, and consequential displacement. Statistics from Reuters show that more than 7,000 people have been killed since January this year, with UNHCR reporting more than 700,000 refugees fleeing into nearby Burundi, Angola, Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.  

Just last week, the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, mediated the first direct dialogue between Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda and Felix Tsishekedi of DRC, which led to a ceasefire agreement between the two leaders. 

That said, M23 rebels have continued with belligerent activities, citing recent European Union sanctions against their leaders and Rwanda. Peace talks have become more and more complicated with the M23 enjoying significant battlefield gains.

The fresh EAC-SADC peace attempts, however, offer renewed hope for a ceasefire or even lasting peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo.