Great Lakes Region (DRC)
Expected Council Action
In October, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, is expected to provide the biannual briefing to the Council on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework (PSC-F) for the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the Great Lakes region.
Key Recent Developments
Since the Council’s last meeting on the Great Lakes region on 16 April, there have been significant developments in the DRC and the Great Lakes. 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 took place on 31 July. This committee was established based on the peace agreement to resolve any disputes arising between the parties during implementation. In addition to delegations from the DRC and Rwanda, representatives from Qatar, Togo (as the African Union [AU] facilitator), the US 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 Qatar, the US, 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 in early April 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 agreement was not signed on 18 August as anticipated. Several contentious issues appear to have emerged during the negotiations. For instance, the M23 apparently insisted on the implementation of confidence-building measures—such as the release of prisoners of war—as a precondition for further progress. However, the Congolese government maintained that such measures could only be considered once an agreement was signed. It appears that the DRC has changed its position, with reports that the two sides have now agreed on a Prisoner Exchange Mechanism in which the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will facilitate the identification, verification, and safe release of detainees held by both sides.
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 in the DRC 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 annual 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 Qatar and the US.
In the meantime, the security situation in eastern DRC has deteriorated recently with a surge of armed group attacks. The Security Council met on 22 August in an emergency session and condemned the upsurge of attacks by armed groups, including the M23 and other armed groups operating in eastern DRC. (For more, see our 22 August What’s in Blue story.) In early September, the Allied Democratic Forces, a foreign armed group affiliated with ISIL/Daesh, reportedly carried out multiple attacks in North Kivu, which left 89 people dead. Media reports also indicate rising tensions in South Kivu, particularly in Uvira—a town bordering Lake Tanganyika.
Human Rights-Related Developments
On 5 September, the UN Human Rights Office published the findings of its Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on the situation in North and South Kivu, mandated by the Human Rights Council. The report concludes that all parties to the conflict, including the M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), as well as the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) and affiliated groups, have committed serious violations of international humanitarian law that may amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The report documents widespread abuses during and after the takeover of Goma by the M23 and RDF in January, including attacks on schools and hospitals, summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances, and forced recruitment. It highlights systematic sexual violence, including gang rape and sexual slavery, committed by M23 members, targeting women, girls, men, boys, and LGBT persons. Children were also detained, forcibly recruited, and subjected to grave abuses. The FFM found recurring patterns of violations, suggesting a high degree of organisation and planning.
The report further records grave violations by FARDC and Wazalendo militias, including deliberate killings of civilians, looting, and widespread sexual violence, particularly during retreats in early 2025. Wazalendo groups also recruited children under the age of 15 for use in combat and other roles.
Key Issues and Options
A key issue for Council members in October is the security situation in eastern DRC, which continues to be a source of tension among countries of the Great Lakes region. There are concerns that the deterioration of the security situation in South Kivu, particularly in Uvira, has the potential to heighten regional tensions.
Another major issue for Council members is whether there needs to be greater coordination among the various regional initiatives in the Great Lakes region. There appears to be a growing concern that African-led mediation efforts are being overtaken by externally led processes. During the meeting in October, Xia may brief Council members about his series of engagements with regional leaders, mediators and facilitators as part of his good offices mandate to support ongoing mediation processes.
The revitalisation of the 2013 PSC-F to address the root causes of instability in the DRC and the Great Lakes region has been an ongoing issue. In this regard, Council members may focus attention on the 12th meeting of the Regional Oversight Mechanism of the PSC-F, which took place in Entebbe, Uganda, on 28 May. The meeting considered the independent assessment on the implementation of the PSC-F, including its findings and recommendations, and adopted an action plan on revitalising the PSC-F, emphasising its continued relevance to address the root causes of the instability in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes. A possible option for Council members is to adopt a press statement to welcome the outcome of this meeting and highlight the main findings.
Council and Wider Dynamics
Council members have welcomed the progress in the ongoing mediation efforts to address the situation in eastern DRC and ease tensions among countries of the Great Lakes region. However, they apparently could not agree on a press statement proposed by France, the penholder on the DRC and the Great Lakes, to condemn the recent upsurge of armed group attacks in eastern DRC. It seems that the US wanted a reference to the “Rwanda-backed M23”, but the “A3 Plus” grouping (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Guyana) opposed this reference.
Council members remain concerned about the worsening humanitarian and human rights situation in eastern DRC, with multiple reports of serious human rights abuses and crimes targeting civilians, particularly women and children. Discussion about punitive measures has been put on hold amid progress in the peace process, but the resurgence of violence appears to have prompted some Council members to call for accountability for crimes against civilians.
Council members also continue to highlight the need to address the illegal exploitation of natural resources, which is fuelling the conflict in eastern DRC. In July, Sierra Leone convened an Arria-formula meeting titled “The Global Race for Critical Minerals: Addressing Resource-Driven Insecurity in Africa”. A key focus of the meeting was the DRC and the Great Lakes region, which hold vast reserves of critical minerals. (For more, see our 8 July What’s In Blue story.) The US appears to have a strong interest in securing access to the DRC’s critical mineral resources, as part of a broader strategy to diversify its supply chains and counter China’s dominance in the sector.
| Security Council Resolution | |
| 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. |
| Secretary-General’s Report | |
| 1 April 2025S/2025/202 | This was report on the implementation of the PSC-F. |
| Security Council Meeting Record | |
| 16 April 2025S/PV.9899 | This was a briefing on the situation in the Great Lakes region. |
