Foreign Ministers of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) are gathering today in Harare, Zimbabwe.
A statement from the EAC secretariat indicates that the meeting will examine, deliberate, and adopt measures and initiatives aimed at supporting the restoration of peace in eastern DRC.
The Foreign Ministers from the regional blocs will also consider the report of the joint meeting of the Chiefs of Defence Forces (CDF) which called for a ceasefire and cessation of hostilities; the establishment of a technical coordination mechanism at the secretariat level to monitor the implementation of the decisions of the joint summit.
The report also provides a roadmap detailing immediate, medium and long-term implementation measures, including funding modalities; and the addressing of all other residual issues related to the achievement of lasting peace and security in eastern DRC and make appropriate recommendations to the next joint meeting of the EAC-SADC Summit.
The joint SADC-EAC meeting was originally scheduled for Friday, February 28, in Harare, Zimbabwe, but was postponed at the last minute.
The convening of this meeting is in line with the resolutions of the joint SADC-EAC summit held in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, which ordered a joint meeting of these regional blocs to assess the level of implementation of the various recommendations.