AU-led Joint Secretariat to drive unified DRC peace efforts » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 — Presidents William Ruto of Kenya and Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe have proposed the creation of an African Union–led Joint Secretariat to coordinate all regional peace processes in DRC.

The move seeks to strengthen efforts toward ending decades of conflict in the country.

The announcement was made during a high-level EAC-SADC Co-Chairs session in Nairobi on Friday, where leaders officially resolved to consolidate regional efforts and align then to international engagements under a single African-led initiative.

“Today marks a turning point. There is now one African-led process that brings together all the other initiatives — Nairobi, Luanda, and any others — into one coherent mechanism on the situation in eastern DRC,” President Ruto said.

He added that the unified structure would harmonize terms of reference, consolidate secretariats, and establish a clear mechanism for resource mobilization, humanitarian coordination, and peace agreement implementation.

Lasting solution

President Mnangagwa welcomed the move, calling collaboration between the AU, SADC, and EAC “key to delivering a lasting solution to a conflict that has devastated the people of eastern DRC for far too long.”

According to a final communiqué read by SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi, the session agreed to merge the peace structures of the AU, EAC, and SADC into one African-led framework.

The meeting also adopted a unified resource mobilization strategy, with a focus on humanitarian assistance.

It further resolved to align all ongoing and future peace efforts with the AU-led initiative.

The session also reaffirmed earlier resolutions from joint summits, the AU Peace and Security Council, and UN Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025), underscoring the urgency of a coordinated African response.

President Ruto emphasized that the new process would complement — not compete with — international peace initiatives such as the Washington Agreement and the Doha Peace Initiative.

The Nairobi session brought together a panel of eminent African facilitators, including Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia).

Also in attendance were AU Commission Chairperson Mohamud Ali Yusuf, Kenya’s Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, Zimbabwe’s Foreign Affairs Minister Frederick Shava, and EAC Secretary General Veronica Nduva.