African Union mediators have agreed to unify and strengthen peace efforts in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, reaffirming the central role of the Togolese-led mediation during a high-level meeting held in Lomé on January 17, 2026.
The meeting brought together senior African and international figures to consolidate ongoing diplomatic initiatives aimed at ending conflict and restoring stability in the DRC and the wider Great Lakes region.
The talks were convened at the invitation of Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, who is the African Union’s appointed Mediator for the DRC crisis.
He chaired the meeting, which was attended by members of the AU Panel of Facilitators, including former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza, former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.
Foreign ministers and representatives from the DRC, Rwanda, Angola, Burundi, Uganda, the United States, Qatar, France and Togo also participated, alongside officials from the United Nations, the African Union Commission, the East African Community (EAC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and other regional and international partners.
According to the final communiqué, the meeting reviewed “the diplomatic efforts undertaken at the African and international levels over the past twelve (12) months to reopen channels of dialogue between the parties to the conflict and to accelerate momentum towards de-escalation and negotiated solutions.”
Participants welcomed the combined mediation efforts by Togo, EAC and SADC in support of “the return to lasting peace in eastern DRC.”
The meeting endorsed recent international initiatives, including US-backed agreements such as the Washington Declaration of Principles and subsequent peace agreements between the DRC and Rwanda, as well as Qatar-led talks that produced the Doha Declaration of Principles and the Doha Framework Agreement.
The mediators reaffirmed “full support to the Doha process” and urged parties to “resume talks without delay in order to conclude negotiations on the remaining six protocols.”
A key outcome was the decision to strengthen coordination among mediation efforts. The communiqué underscored “the need to strengthen harmonisation, coherence, and coordination among all peace initiatives” to avoid fragmentation.
In this regard, the meeting endorsed a revised mediation architecture, including the establishment of an Independent Joint Secretariat to support the Panel of Facilitators.
The mediators also called on all parties to “accelerate the good-faith implementation of their respective commitments and to prioritise peaceful means” in resolving the conflict.
They stressed the importance of structured African follow-up to ensure agreements translate into tangible peace on the ground.
Participants expressed appreciation to Togo for hosting the talks and reaffirmed their “collective determination to pursue, in a spirit of coherence, coordination, and shared responsibility,” efforts to promote lasting peace, security and stability in the DRC and the Great Lakes region.
