United Nations commends Togo’s role and backs Faure Gnassingbé’s mediation for peace in eastern DR Congo

On Monday, 8 June 2026, in Lomé, the United Nations Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of MONUSCO, James Swan, together with the UN Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, met with Togolese Council President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who serves as the African Union’s mediator in Lomé.

Discussions focused on the progress of ongoing diplomatic initiatives and how the United Nations can contribute to the African Union-led mediation efforts aimed at achieving a lasting resolution to the crisis in eastern DRC, according to the Togolese presidency.

Both UN officials are in Lomé for the semiannual review meeting of the African Union mediation in the region. They are deeply involved in peace and stabilisation work in eastern DRC and the broader Great Lakes area.

“The UN representatives praised Togo’s commitment to promoting peace, stability, and peaceful conflict resolution across Africa. They affirmed their readiness to support the efforts of the Council President, the AU-appointed mediator, in finding a just and sustainable solution to the crisis affecting this part of the continent,” the Togolese presidency stated.

Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé was appointed as the AU mediator for the eastern DRC crisis, replacing Angolan President João Lourenço. Over recent months, he has held multiple consultations with the United Nations to coordinate approaches to peace in the Great Lakes region.

James Swan’s presence in Lomé is particularly significant. Having taken up his post nearly two months ago, this is his first participation in the semiannual evaluation meeting of peace initiatives under the Togolese-led African mediation.

This meeting occurs against a backdrop of continuing deterioration in the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC, despite the existence of the Washington Agreement and successive review meetings. The number of diplomatic initiatives aimed at resolving the crisis has increased, yet conditions on the ground keep worsening.

Erosion of trust among the parties and a lack of political will among some regional actors—hampering effective implementation of commitments—remain major challenges for mediators, notably the United States and the State of Qatar. Both are urged to persist in their efforts to end the current security crisis, marked by the AFC/M23 rebellion, which Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of supporting.

In response to this situation, voices at national, regional, and international levels continue to call on all protagonists to respect commitments made under peace initiatives. However, these calls have so far had no significant effect. Closing the persistent gap between ground realities and diplomatic progress on paper remains elusive. Each side continues to interpret the agreement’s provisions according to its own reading, making implementation ever more hypothetical.

The same applies to the Doha process, led by the State of Qatar. Despite several rounds of talks, Kinshasa and the AFC/M23 rebellion still struggle to align their positions on key points of divergence. The Montreux stage in Switzerland, intended to inject new momentum into the process, did not yield the expected results. Commitments from that negotiation phase have not been fully honoured, while the deteriorating security situation in the Middle East has also pushed this dossier into the background, further slowing mediation efforts.