Kalaba calls for SADC to sit down, Kagame, Tshisekedi, Ramaphosa before conflicts engulf region
CITIZENS First president Harry Kalaba has appealed to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to intervene in the rapidly escalating conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, warning that the crisis could engulf the entire region if left unchecked.
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The conflict which has raised tension between DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and the M23 rebel group, has drawn in Rwandan President Paul Kagame, raising fears of a full-blown regional war.
At the moment, violence has already claimed numerous lives, including South African peacekeeping soldiers and innocent civilians, while displacing thousands more.
In a statement, the former Foreign Affairs minister said SADC needs to act decisively to prevent further bloodshed.
“On behalf of our party Citizens First, my urgent and clarion call is to the SADC to quickly sit President Kagame, President Tshisekedi, South African authorities together and find a way to resolve this conflict before it engulfs the entire region both in the east and southern regions of Africa,” stated Kalaba
“Let us sit together as leaders under SADC and beyond in Africa and realise that unless we stop all the raging internal conflicts, achieving economic development will be a pipe dream.”
Recently casualties among South African peacekeepers have drawn condemnation from President Cyril Ramaphosa sparking further tension between Rwanda and South Africa.
Kalaba warned that the conflict threatens to destabilise not only the eastern DRC but also southern Africa which will lead to regional instability and a clash of economic development.
He urged African leaders to leverage regional institutions like SADC to resolve the crisis, rather than relying on Western intervention.
“Let us silence the guns, the bombs and stop raining bullets on each other as soon as possible so that we can escalate regional economic growth and job creation,” Kalaba said.
Despite the current chaos, Kalaba expressed confidence that diplomacy could still prevail.
By Moses Makwaya
Kalemba January 31, 2025