President William Ruto of Kenya and João Lourenço of Angola on Wednesday expressed concern about conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and sought a meeting between two influential economic blocs to find a solution to the problem in the country’s volatile east.
Ruto is the current chair of the East African Community (EAC) while Lourenço, a member of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), is expected to chair the African Union from next month.
The Angolan leader champions the African Champion of Peace and Reconciliation, and mediator mandated by the AU for the peace process in the DRC also known as the Luanda Process, while President Ruto is the champion of AU reforms.
The two leaders met in Luanda on Wednesday and suggested that SADC and EAC consolidate efforts to find peace in eastern DRC.
“Peace and security on our continent is of paramount importance to us all, and we are keen to have a process that incorporates all and ensure its success,” President Ruto said. “Angola's concerns are also those of Kenya.”
Angola Foreign Affairs Minister Téte António said after the meeting that the two leaders agreed that there has been consultation between the two countries in terms of peace efforts, in the Nairobi Process, led by former president Uhuru Kenyatta, and the Luanda Process, led by President Lourenço, and centred on finding solutions to end the conflict.
The two met at a time when the spokesman for the UN Secretary-General urged the parties to the Congo conflict to prioritise dialogue within the framework of the Luanda and Nairobi processes, amid reports of the escalation of violence in Masisi territory, North Kivu, in the past week.
Between New Year’s Day and January 5, more than 100,000 people fled the fighting between the M23 rebel group and the Congolese army and its allies in Masisi territory.
During the Luanda meeting, which marked a significant step in strengthening diplomatic and economic ties between Kenya and Angola, the two leaders also discussed pertinent issues in the African continent, including institutional reforms and the election of the next chairperson of the African Union Commission next month, in which President Ruto will be touting former prime minister Raila Odinga's bid.
