SADC parliamentary forum: DR Congo seeks member states’ help to restore peace in the east and isolate Joseph Kabila

At the SADC parliamentary forum, which ended in Johannesburg on October 25, the Congolese delegation led by Isaac Tshilumbayi urged member states to act together to end the conflict in eastern DR Congo. Tshilumbayi called on them to stop treating Joseph Kabila as a former head of state, accusing him of leading the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation, described as a new rebellion replacing AFC/M23. MP Enock Batsotsi Nyamwisi denounced the conflict’s heavy death toll and urged African countries to move beyond statements and take action. DR Congo has also ratified the protocol to turn the Forum into a regional Parliament, with planned authority over areas including education, health, agriculture and governance.