Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has lauded the Zimbabwean government for its leadership of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and its role in advancing regional efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

He made the remarks on Wednesday, August 6, during the Ministerial Session of the Third Joint Permanent Commission on Cooperation between Rwanda and Zimbabwe, held in Kigali.

“As we meet today, we are reminded of the broader vision that underpins our cooperation, a vision of a safe, integrated, and prosperous Africa,” said Nduhungirehe.

“In this regard, I commend Zimbabwe’s leadership as you concluded your chairmanship of the Southern African Development Community, and for the successful hosting of the EAC-SADC ministerial meeting on the conflict in eastern DR Congo held from March 20 to 25.

“In particular, we are encouraged to see growing momentum behind the principle of African solutions to African problems, as demonstrated by the successful co-hosting of the EAC-SADC Co-Chairs meeting held in Nairobi last week,” he added.

The session also provided an opportunity to review and strengthen bilateral ties between Rwanda and Zimbabwe across key sectors including health, youth affairs, police cooperation, customs, and energy.

Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amon Murwira said: “The work that has taken place between EAC and SADC shows a strong commitment to finding lasting solutions in the eastern parts of DR Congo and the region at large by addressing the long-term root causes.”

Earlier, on August 1 in Nairobi, the co-chairs of the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the African Union (AU) panel of facilitators for the DR Congo peace process agreed to merge their efforts.

The meeting, co-chaired by Kenyan President William Ruto and Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, leaders of the EAC and SADC, respectively decided that the merged panel will jointly report to both the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the AU.

This merger aims to improve coordination in resolving the crisis in eastern DR Congo