Un praises Togo’s role and backs Faure Gnassingbé’s mediation for east DRC peace

On Monday, un special representative for the democratic republic of the Congo and monusco head james swan, along with un special envoy for the great lakes region huang xia, met in Lomé with togolese council president faure esozimna gnassingbé, who serves as the african union’s mediator for the crisis.

According to the togolese presidency, discussions covered the progress of ongoing diplomatic initiatives and the un’s contribution to mediation efforts led by the african union to achieve a lasting resolution to the crisis in eastern drc.

Both un officials are in Lomé for the semiannual review meeting of the african union’s mediation in eastern drc and the great lakes region, where they are actively involved in peace and stabilization efforts.

The un representatives commended Togo’s commitment to promoting peace, stability, and peaceful conflict resolution in africa. They reaffirmed their readiness to support the efforts of council president gnassingbé, the designated au mediator, in finding a fair and lasting solution to the crisis affecting eastern drc.

Appointed au mediator for eastern drc crisis to replace angolan president joão lourenço, faure gnassingbé has stepped up consultations with the un over recent months to promote a coordinated approach for peace in the great lakes region.

James swan’s presence in Lomé is particularly significant. Having taken office nearly two months ago, this is his first participation in the semiannual review meeting assessing peace initiatives under Togo’s african union mediation.

This meeting comes at a time when, despite the Washington agreement and a series of review meetings, the security and humanitarian situation in eastern drc continues to worsen. This deterioration persists even as diplomatic initiatives multiply.

Erosion of trust between parties and lack of political will from some regional actors, hindering implementation of commitments, remain major challenges for mediators including the united states and qatar. These nations are called upon to continue efforts to resolve the security crisis, marked by the afc/m23 rebellion, which Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting.

Voices at national, regional, and international levels continue to urge all parties to honor commitments made under peace initiatives. However, these appeals have had little impact so far. Closing the persistent gap between ground realities and diplomatic progress remains elusive. Each party interprets agreement provisions in its own way, making implementation increasingly uncertain.

The same applies to the doha process, led by qatar. Despite multiple rounds of talks, Kinshasa and the afc/m23 rebellion have struggled to align positions on key disagreements. The montreux stage in switzerland, intended to inject new momentum, failed to deliver expected results. Commitments from that negotiation phase have not been fully honored, while the deteriorating security situation in the middle east has also pushed this matter to the background, further slowing mediation efforts.