Story Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
LEADERS of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) are expected to meet this Saturday in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for a special Heads of State and Government Summit to discuss the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, and President of Tanzania, Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan hosts the meeting, which is expected to be attended by President Emmerson Mnangagwa as chairperson of SADC and EAC chairperson, Kenyan President William Ruto along with member states of Troops Contributing Countries, including South Africa.
The historic meeting is preceded by a ministerial meeting being held this Friday in Tanzania with a Zimbabwean delegation led by Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister, Professor Amon Murwira, and the Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, Honourable Musalia Mudavadi as co-chair.
The UN says at least 2 900 people have been killed during the fighting, with 2 000 bodies buried and another 900 still in the city’s morgues.
Earlier this week, M23 rebels announced a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds.
