EAC summit seeks to resolve Ethiopia-Somalia dispute and eastern DRC conflict

The latest East African Community (EAC) summit at the weekend focused, among other issues, on the resolution of two conflicts that are threatening the stability of the region — the dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia and the unabated violence by rebel groups in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Kenya’s President William Ruto has said he and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni agreed help to mediate the dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia, after several attempts to resolve the feud by Turkey have failed to make a breakthrough. “Because the security of Somalia… contributes significantly to the stability of our region, and the environment for investors and business people and entrepreneurs to thrive,” Ruto told a press conference at the EAC summit at Arusha, Tanzania. Landlocked Ethiopia has fallen out with Somalia’s government over its plans to build a port in the breakaway region of Somaliland, in exchange for possible recognition of its sovereignty.

Meanwhile, East African leaders made another push for peace in eastern DRC but its prospects remained bleak since the EAC summit was not attended by the Congolese president while his Rwandan counterpart left the meeting earlier. A communique read at the end of the closed-door meeting of the summit only stated the need to combine regional and broader peace initiatives for sustainable peace in eastern DRC. The United States and Angola managed to broker a truce in July. The truce has reduced the fighting between Rwandan and Congolese forces, but  fighting between M23 and other militias is still raging on.