SADC to Hold Emergency Summit on DRC Security Crisis.
Harare, Zimbabwe—President Emmerson Mnangagwa will lead a SADC emergency summit in Harare on Friday. The meeting will focus on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
SADC, the Southern African Development Community, is a regional bloc. President Mnangagwa is the current chair.
On Monday, the president said SADC will take full responsibility for the DRC situation. He promised decisive action to address the worsening security in the country's eastern region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Amon Murwira confirmed the summit's purpose. "The extraordinary summit is for heads of state to debate and make decisions on peace efforts for the eastern DRC," he said.
Instability in the DRC threatens the region's economic development. Professor Murwira emphasized the importance of peace.
"Their excellencies will receive an update on the problem Friday," he said. "They will then make decisions."
President Mnangagwa condemned the violence in a statement Monday. He urged SADC to take action.
The SADC Secretariat said the meeting follows Tuesday's summit of the SADC Organ Troika plus the DRC and troop-contributing countries, which was chaired by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The death toll from recent fighting between peacekeepers and M23 rebels has reached 17. This includes 13 South African soldiers and others from Malawi and Uruguay.
M23 has made rapid advances toward the city of Goma, which has over one million residents. The fighting has displaced more than 400,000 people in the North and South Kivu provinces near Rwanda.
The UN refugee agency reports growing humanitarian needs as families flee for safety.
The summit reflects the urgency SADC places on regional stability, said government spokesperson Richard Mahomva.
Meetings of SADC senior officials and the council of ministers will precede the main summit.
Harare, Zimbabwe—President Emmerson Mnangagwa will lead a SADC emergency summit in Harare on Friday. The meeting will focus on the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
SADC, the Southern African Development Community, is a regional bloc. President Mnangagwa is the current chair.
On Monday, the president said SADC will take full responsibility for the DRC situation. He promised decisive action to address the worsening security in the country's eastern region.
Foreign Affairs Minister Amon Murwira confirmed the summit's purpose. "The extraordinary summit is for heads of state to debate and make decisions on peace efforts for the eastern DRC," he said.
Instability in the DRC threatens the region's economic development. Professor Murwira emphasized the importance of peace.
"Their excellencies will receive an update on the problem Friday," he said. "They will then make decisions."
President Mnangagwa condemned the violence in a statement Monday. He urged SADC to take action.
The SADC Secretariat said the meeting follows Tuesday's summit of the SADC Organ Troika plus the DRC and troop-contributing countries, which was chaired by Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan.
The death toll from recent fighting between peacekeepers and M23 rebels has reached 17. This includes 13 South African soldiers and others from Malawi and Uruguay.
M23 has made rapid advances toward the city of Goma, which has over one million residents. The fighting has displaced more than 400,000 people in the North and South Kivu provinces near Rwanda.
The UN refugee agency reports growing humanitarian needs as families flee for safety.
The summit reflects the urgency SADC places on regional stability, said government spokesperson Richard Mahomva.
Meetings of SADC senior officials and the council of ministers will precede the main summit.
