HARARE, March 25 (Xinhua) -- An expanded team of five former African leaders have been appointed to mediate the security crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to a joint communique released Monday.
The East African Community and the Southern African Development Community held a virtual summit on Monday, announcing that the team includes former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former South African President Kgalema Motlanthe, former President of the Central African Republic Catherine Samba Panza, and Sahle-Work Zewde, former President of Ethiopia.
The summit took into account gender, regional and language inclusivity for the appointment, and a briefing session would be convened within the next seven days, said the communique.
Fighting between the DRC government and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group has intensified in recent months as M23 launched major offensives in the eastern provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
The mineral-rich eastern DRC remains a focal point of conflict, with various armed groups vying for control over such resources as coltan, tin, tantalum and gold.
According to the United Nations, about one million people, including approximately 400,000 children, have been newly displaced since late January 2025, with numbers expected to rise as hostilities persist in North and South Kivu. ■
