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Message: [QUOTE="Nehanda, post: 23999, member: 2262"] SADC Heads of State and Government will meet in Harare today to discuss the growing security concerns in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Yesterday, SADC Executive Secretary Mr Elias Magosi met with President Mnangagwa. The meeting took place at State House. Mr Magosi briefed the President on the agenda for today's summit. After the meeting, Mr Magosi spoke to journalists. He expressed worry about the conflict in the DRC. "We're visiting His Excellency as the SADC chairperson. He will lead the Extraordinary SADC meeting tomorrow to address issues in Eastern DRC. The situation there is concerning," he said. "I was updating him on the meeting preparations and agenda. The conflict is troubling because lives have been lost. We believe our troops need protection. The leaders will discuss the details and offer guidance after the summit." On December 15, 2023, the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) was sent to help the DRC government. The mission aims to restore peace and security in the eastern DRC. The area has seen more conflicts and instability due to the return of armed groups. The summit follows the Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Organ Troika plus the DRC and Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs), which was held on January 28 and chaired by Tanzania's President, Dr Samia Suluhu Hassan. She is the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation. The SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the SADC Council of Ministers will meet before the summit. As of Tuesday, 17 people had died in fighting between peacekeeping soldiers and M23 rebels in eastern Congo. This included 13 South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers and others from Malawi and Uruguay. They were part of the SADC regional force or the UN mission in Congo (MONUSCO). In recent weeks, M23 has quickly moved towards Goma, a city with over one million residents. More than 400,000 people have fled their homes in North and South Kivu, near the Rwandan border. On Wednesday, the East African Community (EAC) held an Extraordinary Summit about the DRC situation. After the summit, Kenya's President William Ruto, the EAC Chairperson, said he would talk to President Mnangagwa, the SADC Chairperson. They would discuss the need for an urgent joint summit. However, Mr Magoso said the EAC had not formally asked for a joint summit. "Until we receive a formal request, we will think about it. I believe our leaders will decide if it's something that can happen. Right now, we don't have anything official from the EAC," he said. The Extraordinary SADC Organ Troika Summit will take place before the main summit. It will be led by the President of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi. He is the chairman of the Revolutionary Council and represents President Hassan. [/QUOTE]

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