Eastern drc crisis: au mediator faure gnassingbé renews commitment to peace

Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo and African Union (AU) Mediator for the resolution of the crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region, chaired a high-level meeting in Lomé on Monday. The meeting focused on a six-month evaluation of mediation activities, as confirmed by official sources from Lomé.

This strategic gathering brought together AU facilitators, delegates from international partners (UN, ICRC), and representatives of regional organisations such as the EAC, ECCAS, SADC, and ICGLR.

Gnassingbé highlighted progress in structuring the African mediation framework, noting significant advances since the Lomé meeting dedicated to coherence and consolidation of the peace process in the DRC and the region.

“We have reached an important milestone since January by bringing more order to the architecture of African mediation,” he said. He added, “I am convinced that this meeting marks a significant step forward in improving our collective action and in finding sustainable solutions to this crisis.”

Despite these gains, the Mediator stressed “the need to continue efforts to further strengthen coherence and coordination among the various mediation mechanisms engaged in the peace process in this part of the continent,” the document stated.

Reaffirming his “determination to carry out the mission entrusted to him” by the AU, Gnassingbé also called for sustained collective mobilisation for stability in the DRC.

“We will continue this mission with humility, determination and perseverance. Despite the challenges, we also see many well-meaning individuals ready to support us in this peace effort,” he emphasised.

To maintain the momentum initiated by the Mediator, the meeting endorsed measures to optimise mediation. These include adjusting the work plans of the Panel of Facilitators for the second half of 2026 and drafting, within two weeks, an operational action plan detailing the implementation modalities of the agreed decisions.

With renewed collective commitment, participants pledged to apply these measures with “diligence and coherence.”