Defense and foreign ministers from Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania have endorsed draft procedures for disarming, demobilizing, repatriating and reintegrating foreign armed-group fighters in the Great Lakes region.
The agreement, reached in Lusaka, Zambia, on October 18, now goes to regional heads of state for final adoption, according to the Rwanda-based The New Times.
The draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are intended to create common regional minimum standards for the safe, voluntary and verifiable repatriation of foreign ex-combatants.
A United Nations Security Council report says the framework is designed to strengthen the capacity of national authorities to plan and implement disarmament, demobilization, repatriation and reintegration, commonly known as DDRRR.
The ministers met under the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region’s (ICGLR) Contact and Coordination Group. Rwanda’s delegation was led by Defense Minister Juvenal Marizamunda, accompanied by Major General Vincent Nyakarundi, representing the Rwanda Defense Force chief of defense staff.
Their discussions followed a technical experts’ meeting on October 17, which reviewed the draft procedures before ministers considered them. The SOPs will now be submitted to heads of state for consideration and possible adoption.
The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, Huang Xia, had said before the meeting that the talks would focus on guidelines for disarming and reintegrating fighters from foreign armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), Burundi’s RED-Tabara and FRN/M23.
The ministerial meeting formed part of a broader series of ICGLR statutory security meetings held in Lusaka from October 14 to 16. These included the fourth ordinary meeting of the Specialized Committee of Defense Experts, the 20th meeting of chiefs of defense forces, and the 20th meeting of ministers of defense.
Kenya’s Ministry of Defense said the sessions brought together defense experts, military commanders and political leaders to assess regional security dynamics, harmonize priorities and strengthen collective responses to shared threats.
Defense officials from all 12 ICGLR member states participated: Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the Republic of Congo, DRC, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.
The endorsement is a procedural step rather than a completed disarmament program. The ICGLR has previously said its member states remain committed to dialogue, collective action and regional cooperation under the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region.
The DRC has called for rigorous follow-up of the recommendations, supported by a clear roadmap, defined responsibilities and precise deadlines. Congolese reporting indicated that the proposed procedures are expected to support efforts against foreign armed groups operating in eastern DRC and neighboring areas.
The initiative comes amid continuing insecurity across the region, where cross-border armed groups remain a major obstacle to civilian protection, humanitarian access and stability. The Lusaka meetings also preceded the ICGLR’s 20th ordinary meeting of the Regional Inter-ministerial Committee, scheduled for October 19.
