Amidst growing concerns over the worsening crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), army chiefs from four African regions met in an emergency conference at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa on Friday, October 6, to discuss strategies and potential interventions to restore stability in the troubled East African country.
The meeting brought together military leaders with expertise in peacekeeping operations and conflict resolution to draw up a comprehensive plan that addresses the political instability, armed conflicts, and humanitarian crisis unfolding in the DRC.
According to a post by the AU Peace and Security Council on X, the military leaders are from countries that are part of an AU-led quadripartite mechanism for eastern DR Congo, and their discussion focused on “a coordination framework to harmonise the many peace initiatives in the region.”
The meeting at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa brought together representatives of the SADC, the EAC, the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR).
These regional communities make up the Quadripartite arrangement, with DR Congo and Rwanda as concerned countries, and Angola, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Uganda, South Sudan, and Zambia in their various capacities as chairs of the regional communities and mechanisms and troop-contributing countries, as well as the AU and the United Nations (UN).
With reports of escalating violence and human rights abuses emerging from the DRC, neighbouring African nations have been increasingly alarmed and motivated to intervene. The army chiefs’ conference intends to consolidate efforts and pool resources to address this pressing issue in a unified manner.
In an earlier statement announcing the meeting, the council said the army chiefs would discuss planned and existing military interventions in eastern DR Congo to establish a clear division of labour in the country’s troubled east.
The meeting of the army chiefs’ was heralded by a meeting of experts from Wednesday to Thursday.
The meeting took place as hostilities between the Congolese armed forces (FARDC) and the M23 rebel group resumed, with heavy fighting reported in parts of North Kivu province.
Throughout the conference, military leaders will exchange insights and experiences related to peacekeeping missions, sharing best practises and lessons learned from previous interventions in similar contexts. They will also assess the feasibility of deploying a multinational force to assist the DRC government in restoring peace and stability.
As the meeting progresses, countries are expected to pledge resources, including troops, logistics, and financial support, to effectively address the crisis.
