Democratic Republic of the Congo
Expected Council Action
In September, the Security Council will hold a briefing and consultations on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Special Representative and Head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) Bintou Keita is expected to brief.
Key Recent Developments
On 27 June, the DRC and Rwanda—which had been engaged in mutual accusations of supporting proxy armed groups in the conflict in eastern DRC—signed a peace agreement under US auspices in Washington. From 30 July to 1 August, Washington hosted meetings focused on implementing the security elements of the agreement. In this context, the first meeting of the Joint Oversight Committee, established based on the peace agreement to resolve any disputes arising between the parties during implementation, took place on 31 July. In addition to delegations from the DRC and Rwanda, representatives from the US, Qatar, Togo (as the African Union [AU] facilitator) and the AU Commission participated in the meeting. On 1 August, the delegations from the DRC and Rwanda also initialled the text of the Regional Economic Integration Framework in the context of the 27 June Peace Agreement to collaborate on a wide range of sectors.
On 7–8 August, the first meeting of the Joint Security Coordination Mechanism was held in Addis Ababa. The Mechanism set up under the agreement is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the concept of operations for the harmonised plan to neutralise the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR), an ethnic Hutu armed group active in eastern DRC that was implicated in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, and to facilitate the disengagement of forces and lifting of defensive measures by Rwanda, in line with the 27 June Peace Agreement. The meeting was attended by representatives from the US, Qatar, the AU mediator’s representative, and the AU Commission. During the meeting, the DRC and Rwanda adopted the Mechanism’s terms of reference and discussed next steps for implementing the Agreement.
Qatar has also played a mediation role, aimed at facilitating dialogue between the Congolese government and the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group. Following an initial direct meeting between representatives of both parties in Doha under Qatari facilitation, the Congolese government and the M23 issued a joint declaration on 23 April, reaffirming their commitment to an immediate cessation of hostilities and their categorical rejection of hate speech and intimidation, and calling on local communities to uphold these commitments. Qatar has since proposed a separate draft peace agreement to be signed by the DRC and M23; however, the signing of the agreement on 18 August did not take place as anticipated.
On 25 July, Council members issued a press statement welcoming the signing of the peace agreement between the DRC and Rwanda and the Declaration of Principles in Doha between the DRC and M23. Council members expressed support for the conclusion of a comprehensive peace agreement and the implementation of a ceasefire, with the support of MONUSCO and regional mechanisms.
On 1 August, the Chairs of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)—Kenya’s President William Ruto and Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa, respectively—met in Nairobi with the Panel of Facilitators jointly appointed by the EAC and SADC. (For background, see our 11 April What’s in Blue story.) Among other outcomes, the meeting agreed to merge the EAC-SADC and AU mediation efforts and called on other ongoing initiatives to align themselves with the consolidated African-led mediation process. This decision was endorsed by a joint EAC-SADC extraordinary summit held virtually on 13 August.
On 17 August, SADC held its ordinary summit in Antananarivo, Madagascar, with the country’s president, Andry Rajoelina, taking over the rotating chairmanship from Mnangagwa. The summit welcomed the decision to consolidate the African-led mediation processes, and underscored the need to ensure complementarity and harmonisation between this process and other initiatives led by the US and Qatar.
On 6 August, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a statement condemning a deadly attack carried out by the M23, backed by the Rwandan Defence Forces (RDF), between 9 and 21 July in four villages in Rutshuru territory, North Kivu Province. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 319 civilians, including 48 women and 19 children. In a statement issued on 7 August, the M23 rejected the allegations, describing them as “unfounded and politically motivated.” Similarly, in an 11 August statement, Rwanda dismissed the High Commissioner’s remarks as “false,” questioning the credibility and methodology of the findings. It also objected to the inclusion of the RDF in the allegations.
France, the penholder on the DRC, has circulated a draft press statement condemning the violence. The draft has been negotiated by Council members and was placed under silence until 20 August, but the US broke silence over the absence of a reference to the “Rwanda-backed M23.” It seems that the A3 Plus group (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Guyana) opposed the inclusion of that reference. At the time of writing, the penholder was apparently consulting with Council members, and no revised draft had been circulated.
On 7 August, Security Council members issued a press statement condemning an attack carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF)—an armed group affiliated with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da’esh)—on the night of 26–27 July. The attack targeted a place of worship in Ituri Province, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and injuries, including among women and children.
On 22 August, the Security Council held an emergency meeting at the request of the US to discuss the August wave of violence. Assistant Secretary-General for Africa in the Departments of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs and Peace Operations (DPPA-DPO) Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee briefed.
Human Rights-Related Developments
Between 15 and 25 July, Siobhán Mullally, the UN Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, completed a ten-day country visit to the DRC. Beginning and ending her visit in Kinshasa, with travel to North Kivu and Haut-Katanga, Mullally met with relevant stakeholders to assess the situation of child trafficking and trafficking in persons for purposes of sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, and forced criminality. In her findings, the Special Rapporteur noted that conflict-related trafficking of children by armed groups persists with impunity at alarming levels, with devastating consequences for children and the country’s future. In this regard, Mullally called for urgent measures to combat trafficking in persons and ensure access to justice for victims.
Key Issues and Options
A key issue for the Council in September remains the security situation in eastern DRC. Although fighting appears to have subsided following recent mediation efforts, members appear concerned that the July wave of violence may be repeated in the future. Members may wish to reiterate their demand in resolution 2773 for the M23 to cease hostilities and withdraw from all controlled areas.
A related issue is the implementation of the commitments agreed in Washington and Doha. Council members may reiterate their call on the parties to uphold these commitments, particularly the ceasefire. They may also take note of recent follow-up engagements in Washington and Addis Ababa, as well as ongoing efforts under Qatar’s auspices to facilitate the signing of a comprehensive peace agreement between the DRC and M23. Council members are likely to urge both sides to remain constructively engaged in pursuit of this objective. A possible option is to invite Qatar to brief the Council on the state of the ongoing mediation efforts in Doha.
How to harmonise and streamline the various diplomatic initiatives by regional and external actors on the situation in eastern DRC remains an ongoing issue. Council members may note the outcomes of the recent joint EAC-SADC summit to consolidate the African-led mediation process. The Council could invite an AU representative to brief about the outcome of the summit.
MONUSCO’s disengagement process and the way forward, considering the changed security dynamics, remain an ongoing issue for the Council. On 2 May, the Congolese government and MONUSCO submitted a joint note to the Security Council titled “On the Transition in South Kivu and the Disengagement of MONUSCO”, recommending that MONUSCO be entrusted with the responsibility of supervising a future ceasefire. While the 27 June peace agreement references support for and promotion of “the efforts of multilateral peacekeeping, inter-positional, and verification forces and mechanisms”, it does not explicitly request MONUSCO to oversee a ceasefire. The discussion under the Doha process will be closely watched in this regard. A related issue is how any cuts to peacekeeping in light of the US funding potentially being withdrawn would affect MONUSCO’s ability to provide such support. The Council may wish to discuss the possible alternatives if MONUSCO does not have the capacity to perform this task. Council members could also request the Secretary-General to present options for the mission’s future, taking into account the challenges it currently faces.
Council Dynamics
Council members have welcomed recent breakthroughs in ongoing mediation efforts to resolve the situation in eastern DRC but acknowledge that meaningful progress will depend on the parties’ implementation of their commitments. At the 27 June Council meeting, several members also expressed alarm over reports of widespread sexual violence, the forced recruitment of minors, and the spread of hate speech based on physical appearance. They called on all parties to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.
Council members remain concerned by the challenges facing MONUSCO, including restrictions on its freedom of movement, amid shifting security dynamics since early this year, with the M23 taking control of large parts of North Kivu province, including Goma, the provincial capital. In her briefing to the Council on 27 June, Keita noted the progress towards lifting restrictions on MONUSCO, following her visit to Goma in early June and her meeting with M23. MONUSCO’s inability to implement all aspects of its mandate in Goma and other M23-occupied areas of North Kivu has prompted some Council members to request the UN to come up with a proposal on the mission’s future.
| Security Council Resolutions | |
| 21 February 2025S/RES/2773 | This resolution, acting under Chapter VII of the Charter of the United Nations, strongly condemns the ongoing offensive and advances of the M23 in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the DRC–calling on the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) to cease support to M23 and immediately withdraw from DRC territory without preconditions. The resolution also reiterates an urgent call for all parties to conclude an immediate and unconditional ceasefire. |
| 20 December 2024S/RES/2765 | This resolution extends the mandate of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) for a period of one year until 20 December 2025–noting the continued violence in eastern DRC by the 23 March Movement (M23) and the persistent presence of other domestic and foreign armed groups in the country. |
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 27 June 2025S/PV.9948 | This was a Security Council meeting on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). |
| Security Council Press Statements | |
| 7 August 2025SC/16139 | This was a Security Council press statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. |
| 25 July 2025SC/16129 | This was a Security Council press statement on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. |
