JOINT COMMUNIQUÉ ON THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF H.E. FÉLIX-ANTOINE TSHISEKEDI TSHILOMBO, PRESIDENT OF THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, TO THE UNITED REPUBLIC OF TANZANIA 17–18 AUGUST 20261. At the invitation of Her Excellency Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, His Excellency Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, paid an Official Visit to the United Republic of Tanzania from 17 to 18 August 2026.
Upon his arrival in Zanzibar on 17 August 2026, he was received by the Honourable Mahmoud Thabit Kombo, Minister for Foreign Affairs and East African Cooperation, on behalf of Her Excellency the President of the United Republic of Tanzania.
2. On 18 August 2026, the two Heads of State held a tête-à-tête, followed by bilateral talks at State House, Zanzibar.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed the solidarity of the Government and people of the United Republic of Tanzania with the Government and people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the face of the Ebola outbreak, and reaffirmed Tanzania's readiness to provide appropriate assistance.
3. The two Heads of State reaffirmed the longstanding bonds of friendship and solidarity between their countries, forged through a shared history and strengthened by Tanzania's support for the liberation of African peoples and its enduring contribution to peace, stability and development in the region.
4. The two Heads of State reviewed bilateral cooperation and agreed to promote a more enabling environment for trade and investment, particularly in agriculture, livestock and fisheries, mining and mineral processing, energy, transport and logistics, information and communication technologies, industry, finance and tourism.
They underscored the importance of making full and complementary use of the African Continental Free Trade Area, the SADC Free Trade Area and the East African Community Common Market.
5. The two Heads of State agreed to reinvigorate the Joint Permanent Commission as the central framework for monitoring bilateral cooperation.
They further agreed that its economic and trade pillar should meet annually at ministerial level to review progress, address non-tariff barriers, customs and transit constraints, and promote the active participation of the private sector, in accordance with the relevant legal and institutional frameworks of both countries.
6. In the field of agriculture and food security, the two Heads of State welcomed cooperation in agricultural mechanisation and innovation, seed and livestock improvement, irrigation, fisheries and aquaculture, agro-processing, storage, agricultural finance and capacity-building, with a view to increasing productivity and developing regional value chains.
7. In the mining sector, the two Heads of State agreed to establish a Strategic Partnership on Minerals, including cooperation on critical minerals, geological data, mineral processing, value addition and responsible investment.
They directed the competent authorities to prepare a Memorandum of Understanding setting out priority actions.
They also noted with appreciation the interest expressed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo in joining the African Minerals and Geosciences Centre (AMGC), headquartered in Dar es Salaam.
8. The two Heads of State reaffirmed their commitment to improving multimodal connectivity along the Central Corridor, including through the ports of Dar es Salaam, Kigoma and Kalemie, lake transport services, road links and the progressive interconnection of railway networks, subject to the requisite technical and financial studies. They also encouraged cooperation between the relevant logistics institutions and operators of both countries.
9. The two Heads of State agreed to deepen energy cooperation by assessing mutually beneficial opportunities in oil and gas exploration, transport, storage and refining, electricity interconnection and renewable energy.
They welcomed the growing ambition to develop Tanga as a regional energy hub and agreed to explore, where technically and economically viable, synergies with existing regional infrastructure, including EACOP and TAZAMA.
10. The two Heads of State welcomed progress towards a cross-border fibre-optic link between Kigoma and Kalemie and called upon the relevant authorities to conclude the necessary technical, regulatory and security arrangements for its implementation.
11. On peace and security, the two Heads of State exchanged views on the situation in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. They reaffirmed their commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and called for the full implementation by all concerned actors of all relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, including the cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of foreign forces from Congolese territory.
12. The two Heads of State also welcomed ongoing efforts to neutralise negative forces, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and noted commitments towards their disarmament and dissolution.
They underlined the importance of effective disarmament, demobilisation, repatriation or reintegration, as appropriate, together with accountability and transitional justice, in accordance with national law and applicable international obligations.
13. They further expressed support for African Union-led efforts and for the Washington and Doha peace processes, and called for their coherent, coordinated and timely implementation.
The two Heads of State agreed to intensify cooperation against the illicit exploitation and trafficking of natural resources, particularly through the established regional mechanisms, and to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation, including through information-sharing and capacity-building.
14. The two Heads of State reaffirmed their commitment to closer coordination within the East African Community, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Southern African Development Community, the African Union and the United Nations, in support of peace, security, climate change, integration and sustainable development.
15. Her Excellency President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan congratulated the Democratic Republic of the Congo on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2026–2027 term.
His Excellency President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo reaffirmed the Democratic Republic of the Congo's support for the candidature of the United Republic of Tanzania for the 2029–2030 term.
He also congratulated President Samia Suluhu Hassan on her role as African Union Champion for Maternal, Child and Reproductive Health.
16. The two Heads of State expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the Visit, which opened a new chapter in the strategic partnership between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the United Republic of Tanzania.
President Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo thanked President Samia Suluhu Hassan, the Government and the people of Tanzania for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to him and his delegation.
He invited President Samia Suluhu Hassan to undertake an Official Visit to the Democratic Republic of the Congo at a mutually convenient date. The invitation was accepted with appreciation.
Done at Zanzibar, United Republic of Tanzania, on 18 August 2026, in two originals in the English and French languages, both texts being equally authentic.