African mediation adopts roadmap for eastern DRC peace in second half of 2026

Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, president of the Council of Togo and African Union (AU) mediator for the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region, chaired a meeting on Monday 8 June 2026 in Lomé. The session reviewed the first six months of mediation activities, set against a backdrop of stalled diplomatic initiatives and ongoing clashes between government forces and the Rwanda-backed AFC/M23 rebellion.

The gathering brought together members of the AU-appointed College of Facilitators, along with representatives from the United Nations, the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR), and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Held over two days, 7–8 June 2026, the meeting aimed to evaluate progress since the mediation architecture was launched in Lomé on 17 January 2026, and to set priorities for the second half of the year in support of the Washington and Doha processes, led respectively by the United States and Qatar.

Strategic directions for the second half of 2026

The Togolese presidency reported that the evaluation meeting adopted several strategic directions. These include strengthening internal coordination among the Mediator’s Office, the Panel of Facilitators, the AU Commission, and the Independent Joint Secretariat. Participants also stressed the need to structure and deliver an African contribution to the parallel Washington and Doha processes, to enhance ownership, legitimacy, and implementation. They called on all states and organisations involved in the mediation to deepen cooperation in a spirit of solidarity while respecting the responsibilities and mandates defined in the 17 January 2026 Lomé framework.

Immediate decisions

The meeting also adopted concrete measures to boost the mediation’s effectiveness. These include adjusting the work plans of the Panel of Facilitators for the second half of 2026, and drawing up within fifteen days an operational action plan that specifies how the decisions will be implemented. The communiqué added: “Driven by a renewed collective will and a spirit of shared responsibility, participants committed to implementing the decisions of this meeting diligently and coherently, to honouring their commitments, and to working together for lasting peace in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region.”

This latest session follows a high-level meeting on coherence and consolidation of the peace process in the DRC, held on 16–17 January in Lomé. That earlier meeting, initiated by Faure Gnassingbé, focused on building trust between parties, advancing dialogue, and ensuring compliance with pledges made by all stakeholders. It gathered a panel of former African heads of state, Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey, representatives of the EAC and SADC, and several international partners.

At that January meeting, the AU unveiled its mediation architecture for the peace process in eastern DRC. Under the structure, President Faure Gnassingbé serves as lead mediator, supported by a Togolese mediation support team from the foreign ministry and presidency. Five co-facilitators—all former African heads of state—handle specific themes: Nigeria’s Olusegun Obasanjo (military and security), Ethiopia’s Sahle-Work Zewde (humanitarian affairs), Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta (dialogue with local armed groups), Botswana’s Mokgweetsi Masisi (regional economic cooperation), and Central African Republic’s Catherine Samba-Panza (civil society, reconciliation, and gender). The mechanism also includes an Independent Joint Secretariat comprising Togo, the AU, the EAC, SADC, and the ICGLR. The AU Commission coordinates with international partners, including the United Nations, Qatar, the European Union, and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.