African mediation in Lomé: a new push for peace in eastern DRC

Progress in structuring the African mediation for peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been welcomed. This was a key takeaway from the technical session of the semestrial evaluation meeting of the peace process, held on June 7–8, 2026 in Lomé, initiated by the President of the Council of Togo, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, African Union mediator for resolving the crisis in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region.

Following the ministerial phase led by Minister of Cooperation and Togolese Abroad, Yackoley Johnson, President of the Council Faure Gnassingbé chaired on Monday, June 8 in Lomé a meeting dedicated to the semestrial evaluation of activities carried out under the African mediation.

The diplomatic meeting brought together, around the Togolese mediation, members of the College of Facilitators appointed by the African Union, as well as representatives of the United Nations, the East African Community, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Southern African Development Community, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

According to the Togolese Presidency, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé praised the presence of facilitators, regional organizations, and international partners at this evaluation meeting, seeing it as evidence of their ongoing commitment to peace, stability, and development in the Great Lakes region.

The AU mediator particularly welcomed progress since the Lomé meeting on coherence and consolidation of various peace initiatives in DRC and the Great Lakes region. He said these advances mark an important step towards better coordination of diplomatic and political efforts for a sustainable solution to the crisis affecting eastern DRC.

“We have taken an important step since January by bringing more order to the African mediation architecture. I am convinced that this meeting marks significant progress in improving our collective action and in finding lasting solutions to this crisis,” said the AU mediator.

Gnassingbé stressed the need to continue efforts to further strengthen coherence, complementarity, and coordination among the different mediation mechanisms engaged in the peace process in this region of the continent. He insisted on the importance of maintaining collective and sustained mobilization for stability, peace, and security in eastern DRC.

In his view, only concerted action by regional, continental, and international actors will consolidate the gains made and foster the emergence of lasting peace in the Great Lakes region.

“We will continue this mission with humility, determination, and perseverance. Despite difficulties, we also see many good wills ready to accompany us in this search for peace,” he emphasized.

This new meeting follows the high-level meeting on coherence and consolidation of the peace process in DRC, held on January 16–17 in Lomé, Togo. Initiated by Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, it aimed to strengthen trust between parties, advance dialogue, and ensure respect for commitments by various actors involved in the peace process.

That initiative brought together a panel of facilitators including former heads of state, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, representatives of the East African Community (EAC) and SADC, as well as several international partners. It was part of diplomatic efforts in recent months for stability in eastern DRC.

At the end of those talks, the African Union unveiled its mediation architecture for the peace process in eastern DRC. According to the plan, the mediation is under the authority of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé, designated AU mediator. He is supported by a Togolese mediation support team composed of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency.

The same document indicates that five co-facilitators, all former African heads of state, are responsible for specific themes. Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo handles military and security issues. Former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde is in charge of humanitarian affairs. Former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta oversees dialogue with local armed groups. Former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi is responsible for regional economic cooperation, while former Central African Republic transitional president Catherine Samba-Panza leads matters related to civil society, reconciliation, and gender issues.

The mechanism also includes an independent Joint Secretariat involving Togo, the African Union, the EAC, SADC, and the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR). The AU Commission coordinates with international partners, including the United Nations, Qatar, the European Union, and the Group of Five permanent members of the UN Security Council, the document stated.