Faure Gnassingbé reaffirms commitment to peace in eastern DRC

Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of Togo and African Union (AU) mediator for the crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region, chaired a high-level meeting in Lomé on Monday. The session focused on the semi-annual evaluation of activities conducted under the African mediation framework.

The strategic gathering brought together AU facilitators, delegates from international partners including the United Nations and ICRC, as well as representatives from regional bodies such as the EAC, ECCAS, SADC, and ICGLR.

Gnassingbé welcomed progress in structuring the African mediation, highlighting advances made since the previous Lomé meeting aimed at ensuring coherence and strengthening the peace process in the DRC and the wider region.

“We have reached an important milestone since January by bringing more order to the architecture of the African mediation,” he stated. “I am convinced that this meeting marks significant progress in improving our collective action and in the search for sustainable solutions to this crisis.”

Beyond these gains, the mediator stressed the need to continue efforts to further strengthen coherence and coordination among the various mediation mechanisms involved in the peace process in this part of the continent.

Gnassingbé reaffirmed his determination to carry out the mission entrusted to him by the AU and called for sustained collective mobilization to support stability in the DRC.

“We will continue this mission with humility, determination, and perseverance. Despite the challenges, we also see many well-intentioned actors ready to accompany us in this quest for peace,” he emphasized.

To sustain the momentum created by the mediator, the meeting endorsed measures to optimize the mediation, including adjustments to the work plans of the Panel of Facilitators for the second half of 2026, and the development within two weeks of an operational action plan detailing the implementation modalities of the decisions taken.

Armed with a renewed collective commitment, participants pledged to implement these measures with diligence and consistency.