President Samia in Harare for SADC Summit on DRC security

HARARE: Chairperson of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation, President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has arrived in Harare, Zimbabwe, for a one-day working visit.

A statement released on Thursday by the Director of Presidential Communications, Ms. Sharifa Nyanga, stated that President Samia will participate in an emergency SADC Heads of State and Government Summit scheduled for today, Friday, to discuss the security situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

“The meeting will be chaired by Dr. Emmerson Dambudzo Mnangagwa, Zimbabwean President and SADC Chairperson,” the statement explained.

According to the statement, the Summit follows the outcome of the Extraordinary Summit of the SADC Organ Troika plus the DRC and Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) to the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), which was held on January 28, 2025.

That meeting was chaired by President Samia, in her capacity as Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence, and Security Cooperation.

According to SADC’s statement, the Extraordinary Summit will be preceded by meetings of the SADC Standing Committee of Senior Officials and the SADC Council of Ministers.