UN salutes Togo’s commitment and backs Faure Gnassingbé’s mediation for eastern DRC peace

On Monday, June 8, 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 President of the Togolese Council, Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who acts as the African Union mediator in Lomé.

According to the Togolese presidency, their talks covered the progress of ongoing diplomatic initiatives and the UN’s contribution to the AU-led mediation efforts aimed at achieving a sustainable solution to the crisis in eastern DRC.

Both UN officials, committed to peace and stabilisation in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region, are in Lomé for the semiannual review meeting of the African Union’s mediation process.

The UN representatives commended Togo’s commitment to promoting peace, stability, and the peaceful resolution of conflicts on the African continent. They affirmed their readiness to support the efforts of the President of the Council, the AU-designated mediator, for a fair and lasting end to the crisis affecting this part of the continent, the Togolese presidency stated.

Appointed AU mediator for the eastern DRC crisis in place of Angolan President João Lourenço, Faure Gnassingbé has been intensifying consultations with the United Nations over recent months to encourage a coordinated approach to peace in the Great Lakes region.

The presence of James Swan in Lomé is particularly significant. Having taken office nearly two months ago, this marks his first participation in the semiannual review of peace initiatives under the African mediation led by Togo.

This meeting comes at a time when, despite the existence of the Washington Accord and successive review meetings, the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC continues to worsen. This persists despite the proliferation of diplomatic initiatives intended to help resolve the crisis.

The erosion of trust between the parties, as well as the lack of political will from some regional actors that impedes effective implementation of commitments, remains a major challenge for mediators, especially the United States and the State of Qatar. These countries are urged to continue their efforts toward resolving the current security crisis, marked by the presence of the AFC/M23 rebellion, which Kinshasa accuses of being backed by Rwanda.

In response, voices at national, regional, and international levels keep calling on the various protagonists to respect the commitments made under the peace initiatives. However, these appeals have so far produced no notable results. The goal of bridging the persistent gap between ground realities and diplomatic progress on paper remains elusive. Each party continues to interpret the accord’s provisions according to its own reading, making its implementation even more uncertain.

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 the main points of divergence. The Montreux stage in Switzerland, intended to inject new momentum into the process, did not yield the expected outcomes. Commitments from this negotiation phase have not been fully honoured, while the worsening security situation in the Middle East has further pushed this issue to the background, slowing mediation efforts.