On March 13, 2025, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) will hold an extraordinary summit of heads of state and government, via videoconference, about the security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The meeting will be chaired by Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, President of Zimbabwe and current Chairman of SADC. According to the organization’s press release, the Heads of State will receive an update on developments on the ground, and will examine the recommendations made at the extraordinary Troika meeting of the Organ on Political, Defense and Security Cooperation, held on March 6.
What can we expect from this summit? According to our information, it is possible that SADC will announce the withdrawal of its troops from the East. Largely made up of South African elements, the SADC force has been inoperative since the fall of the town of Goma at the end of January. It is sandwiched in the Sake area by elements of the M23 rebellion supported by Rwanda.
SADC, which advocates a peaceful resolution to the conflict, may find it difficult to extend the presence of its troops, despite the organization’s declared support for the DRC and respect for its territorial integrity.
The summit comes as fighting continues in the east of the country. On Monday March 10, M23/AFC rebels, backed by the Rwandan army (RDF), successively took control of Nyabyondo, Busoro and Kaanja, in the Masisi territory of North Kivu. According to several local sources, the assailants are now approaching Walikale territory, with the aim of opening a corridor towards Maniema and Tshopo provinces, in violation of the ceasefire demanded by the international community and regional organizations.
Hugo Matadi
