NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 1 – Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa has arrived in Nairobi for the Joint East African Community (EAC)–Southern African Development Community (SADC) Co-Chairs’ Meeting to be hosted by President William Ruto.Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Affairs CS Musalia Mudavadi received Mnangagwa at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday evening.Mnangagwa, who also serves as the SADC Chair, joins several regional leaders in the Kenyan capital for the high-level talks co-chaired by President William Ruto in his capacity as EAC Chair. The meeting will review the fragile peace process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where escalating violence by armed groups continues to destabilize North and South Kivu provinces.Other leaders who arrived on Thursday included former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, and African Union Commission Chairperson Mahamoud Ali Youssouf.The Nairobi session will bring together regional mediators and key stakeholders for a briefing with the Panel of Facilitators steering peace talks for the war-torn eastern DRC. Expanded panel The expanded panel, appointed in March following Angola’s withdrawal as a mediator, includes Zewde, Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), and Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa).“This Joint EAC-SADC engagement is a strong demonstration of Africa’s commitment to African-led solutions for regional and continental peace and stability,” Mudavadi said.The meeting seeks to align EAC and SADC-led initiatives, reinforce regional coordination, and accelerate political dialogue to end the conflict, building on recommendations from a Harare ministerial session that outlined a roadmap for short, medium, and long-term stabilization measures.Eastern DRC has long suffered cycles of violence driven by armed groups, resource conflicts, and cross-border tensions. In early 2025, M23 rebels captured Goma and later Bukavu, raising fears of further escalation and prompting renewed diplomatic efforts.Kenya has played a central role in the mediation process, hosting previous Nairobi Peace Talks that brought together Congolese authorities, armed group representatives, and regional stakeholders under the EAC framework.