Foreign Ministers from ICGLR and SADC began meeting in Luanda, Angola on July 1, 2014.

The political and security situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, is at the centre of discussions between Foreign Ministers from the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, ICGLR, and the Southern Africa Development Community, SADC, sub-regional groupings who are meeting in the Angolan capital, Luanda.

The two-day joint ministerial meeting, which is sequel to the November 4, 2014 summit in Pretoria, South Africa, comes on the heels of last month’s border clash in which five DRC soldiers were killed by Rwandan troops. An inquest by East African leaders later blamed Rwanda for abducting and killing the soldiers inside its territory; contrary to earlier claims that they were killed in a cross border exchange of fire.

According to the Angolan Foreign Ministry, the ministers will analyse the report of experts on peace and security in eastern DRC and make public their findings in a release at the end of their meeting today, July 2, 2014. Angolan Foreign Affairs Minister, Georges Chikoti, is representing his country as Acting ICGLR Chair, while Malawi, as SADC Acting Chair, is represented by Foreign Affairs Minister, George Thapatula Chaponda.

At the beginning of the year, the charity, Oxfam, said there was cause to be optimistic that an end could be in sight to decades of armed conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It said political and military achievements in 2013, including increased regional cooperation and the defeat of M 23 rebels, offered a window of opportunity to improve the situation for millions of Congolese.

However, communities in North and South Kivu still face killings, rape, abductions, torture and economic exploitation at the hands of many different armed groups which still control much of the region. The report also blamed security forces for some of the abuses, saying families have been torn apart by the strain of living under constant violence and exploitation.

The result is children who are unable to attend school, widespread food shortages and consequent malnutrition, inadequate health care, water, and sanitation facilities. Across the country, more than 2.75 million people have been displaced and over 398,000 are dependent on the resources provided by charities in 31 camps, Oxfam said.