In the face of ongoing hostilities between government forces and the M23 rebel group—backed by Rwanda and controlling vast areas of North Kivu and South Kivu provinces—the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has reaffirmed its readiness to support peace processes in the region. These include the Washington Agreement and the African Union-backed Doha Process, both aimed at restoring stability in eastern DRC.

James Swan, UN Special Representative and head of MONUSCO, made the announcement on 2 July following a meeting with Guy Kabombo, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs. Swan highlighted that MONUSCO has strengthened operational and logistical support for the Enhanced Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM+), aligning with its mandate to bolster regional efforts for peace and stability.

« Since December 2025, following UN Security Council Resolution 2808, we have received a new mandate to support ceasefire monitoring and verification. We discussed our ongoing efforts to implement this mandate and how we plan to collaborate with the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs to achieve MONUSCO’s objectives, » Swan stated after the meeting.

With urgent calls from partners, including during the Washington Agreement review in London and at the UN Security Council, for the rapid deployment of the first ceasefire verification mission in eastern DRC, Swan confirmed MONUSCO’s preparedness. The mission is awaiting the official designation of verification sites.

« MONUSCO has already contributed to implementing the Enhanced Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM+). Under our mandate, we are responsible for providing logistical support and security oversight for EJVM+ activities. We have already provided additional support and are actively planning to assist missions at identified monitoring sites. We are ready to act as soon as the mechanism finalizes site selections, » Swan assured.

During the meeting with Kabombo, Swan and the Deputy Prime Minister also reviewed broader aspects of MONUSCO’s mandate. Swan emphasized the need for stronger collaboration between MONUSCO, the Ministry of National Defense, and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC).

« MONUSCO maintains close collaboration with the Ministry of National Defense and Veterans Affairs and Congolese authorities. With over 8,000 military personnel, MONUSCO works closely with FARDC, particularly in the Grand Nord and Ituri regions. I wanted to share our activities with the minister and reiterate our key mandates, including civilian protection, disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration efforts, as well as support for security sector reform, » Swan explained.

This meeting follows calls from the United States and other DRC partners after the London meeting on the sixth session of the Joint Monitoring Committee (JMC), which aimed to assess progress on the Washington Agreement. The agreement seeks to restore peace and security in the Great Lakes region, particularly in eastern DRC.

Following the talks, Kinshasa and Kigali reaffirmed commitments to accelerate the implementation of agreed provisions between the two countries. A final communiqué from the U.S. State Department noted that both parties agreed to « request an adjustment of the EJVM+ mandate to include verification of commitments under the Washington Agreements. »

The DRC and Rwanda also agreed to « support the rapid deployment of EJVM+ to undertake its first verification mission » and « urge all actors on the ground to support this initiative. »

Additionally, the two nations pledged to « create political and security conditions conducive to joint verification processes, » a critical step for the effectiveness of peace mechanisms.

Under UN Security Council Resolution 2808 (2025), MONUSCO is authorized to support the implementation of a permanent ceasefire. This includes technical and logistical assistance to the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) through the Enhanced Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM+).