To the backdrop of the crisis in eastern Congo, the AU is counting on Faure Gnassingbe, Togo’s President to resume dialogue, while the M23 disputes the SADC military presence.
The African Union (AU) announced that it had appointed Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbe as the new mediator in the dispute between the DRC and Rwanda, which has sparked a protracted crisis in the Great Lakes region.
The decision was ratified on April 12, following a “silent procedure” without objection from member states before the April 11 deadline.
Togo welcomed this decision, assuring that its head of state “will actively contribute to the search for lasting peace, reconciliation, and stability.”
The AU, for its part, has tasked its services with developing a unified roadmap to support this mediation.
On the ground, tensions remain high. In a statement issued on April 14 in Gaborone, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) categorically rejected the accusations made by the Congo River Alliance/M23 movement.
The latter claims that the SADC Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC) participated in joint operations alongside the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC), the FDLR, and the Wazalendo militia in the Goma region.
“SAMIDRC has not participated in any joint operation as claimed,” the regional organization responded, specifying that its troops are engaged in a “structured and coordinated withdrawal” from Congolese territory, in accordance with the decision taken by the SADC Heads of State.
The M23 statement, dated April 12, demands the “immediate withdrawal” of this regional mission, describing its alleged operations as “contrary to international law.”
AC/Sf/fss/gik/APA