African Union Nominates Togo’s President to Mediate Peace Efforts in DRC Conflict
African Union (AU) Chairperson Joao Lourenco has nominated Togo’s President Faure Gnassingbe to serve as a peace mediator between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda, and the M23 rebels, according to a statement from Lourenco’s office on Saturday.
This nomination follows preliminary consultations with Gnassingbe, who expressed a positive response to the role, contingent upon the formal approval of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government.
Lourenco, who is also the President of Angola, emphasized the grave humanitarian crisis unfolding in eastern DRC and the resulting instability in the region.
The proposal received endorsement from the Assembly Bureau Members, with Lourenco acknowledging the importance of addressing the immense suffering of civilians caused by the ongoing conflict.
Last month, Lourenco had announced that he would end his mediation efforts to focus on his AU duties.
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, expressed his gratitude for Lourenco’s dedication and stressed the need for a detailed roadmap to guide the peace mediation process moving forward.
Once confirmed by the Assembly, President Gnassingbe will collaborate with a panel of five facilitators appointed by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). These include former heads of state such as Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), and Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic).
In a significant development last week, the M23 rebel group, which has been central to the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, announced it had pulled out of Walikale, a strategic mining town in North Kivu province, in support of peace efforts.
This decision is seen as a step toward creating conditions for political dialogue, although Congo and other nations continue to accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels—a claim that Rwanda denies.
