President Nelson Mandela is to meet the chairman of the Congolese Democratic Coalition, Ernest Wamba dia Wamba, in Pretoria on Thursday in an ongoing effort to bring peace to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mandela’s spokesman Parks Mankahlana said on Tuesday the meeting would precede the handing over of the TRC’s final report to the President.
Mandela is to meet Namibian President Sam Nujoma in Windhoek on Wednesday. Nujoma is the chairman of the alliance of Southern African Countries who are backing President Laurent Kabila in the conflict.
Mandela, accompanied by Foreign Minister Alfred Nzo, will also attend the annual summit of the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja, Nigeria, on October 30 and 31.
Mandela, who has been invited by the Chairman of Ecowas, General Abdulsalami Abubakar of Nigeria, will attend as an observer and in his capacity as the Chair of the Southern African Development Community.
Mankahlana would not say if the Congo conflict would be discussed in private talks with Abubakar.
It is expected that the summit will address a wide range of issues, including conflict situations in the West African sub-region. The summit will afford Mandela an opportunity to brief West African Heads of State on a variety of SADC developmental and conflict issues.
Mandela will also use this opportunity to bid farewell to Heads of State of the Ecowas regional group.