A high-level meeting between the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) was held in Nairobi on August 1, 2025, and resolved to immediately merge their peace and mediation structures with the African Union (AU).
The meeting, held at State House Nairobi, brought together the Co-Chairs of the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the Panel of Facilitators. It was co-chaired by President William Samoei Ruto of Kenya, who is also the current Chairperson of the EAC, and President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe, who chairs the SADC.
In a joint statement issued on Friday, the leaders announced that the new joint structure will include the AU Mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators, who will report to both the Joint EAC-SADC Summit and the African Union.
The Panel of Facilitators included former heads of state: Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, Catherine Samba-Panza of the Central African Republic, Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, and Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi of Botswana.
The meeting also resolved to merge the technical secretariats of the African Union Commission (AUC), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) into a single Joint Secretariat led by the AUC and based in Addis Ababa. It was agreed that the Terms of Reference for both the AU Mediator and the EAC-SADC Panel of Facilitators be harmonized and submitted for endorsement by the Joint EAC-SADC Summit.
In addition, the leaders resolved to immediately mobilize resources, including humanitarian aid, under the coordination of the African Union.
They also called on all ongoing peace efforts and stakeholders to align with the AU-led process. To communicate the outcomes of the meeting, the leaders agreed to convene an extraordinary virtual EAC-SADC Summit within seven days.
The leaders thanked President Ruto and the Republic of Kenya for hosting the session and commended the EAC, SADC, and AUC secretariats for their preparatory work.
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