Democratic Republic of the Congo: Informal Interactive Dialogue
This afternoon (11 April), Council members will hold an informal interactive dialogue (IID) on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). (IIDs are closed informal meetings that allow for the participation of non-Council members. There is no formal record of such meetings.) The IID will be split into two parts. In the first part, the DRC and Rwanda are expected to participate via videoconference (VTC) and deliver introductory remarks. Qatar will also participate in this part of the meeting. In the second part, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia are expected to brief. Council members will also hear from representatives from Angola, Kenya, and Zimbabwe in their respective capacities as the current chairs of the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
France, the penholder on the DRC, convened the IID to facilitate a discussion with regional actors on securing an urgent ceasefire in eastern DRC and the implementation of resolution 2773 of 21 February. The resolution condemned the ongoing offensive by the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces and called on the group to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw from the areas it controls, and fully reverse the establishment of illegitimate parallel administrations. France has circulated a concept note to help guide the discussion at today’s meeting.
In his briefing, Lacroix may focus on the potential role of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in supporting the monitoring and implementation of any future ceasefire agreement in eastern DRC coming out of ongoing regional mediation efforts. Resolution 2773 encouraged the EAC and SADC to cooperate closely with MONUSCO, recognising the mission’s possible role in such efforts. Possible involvement of the mission would depend on the consent of the parties to the conflict, however. MONUSCO is facing challenges in carrying out its mandate, including restrictions on its freedom of movement in areas controlled by the M23 in North Kivu province, as outlined in the Secretary-General’s latest report on the mission, dated 20 March.
The role of UN peacekeeping operations in ceasefire monitoring was a topic of discussion during the 7 April Security Council meeting with heads of military components of peacekeeping operations, at which both Lacroix and MONUSCO Force Commander Lieutenant General Ulisses de Mesquita Gomes briefed. Lacroix emphasised that “the success of any ceasefire remains the sole responsibility of the parties”, while Gomes highlighted that “effective ceasefire monitoring depends on the continued cooperation and consent of the host state and local populations”.
Xia may refer to his visits to Angola, Burundi, the DRC, the Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda, and his meeting with Kenyan authorities in Nairobi (where his office is located), which were conducted under his good offices role in the Great Lakes region. He might talk about his meetings with regional leaders aimed at reducing tensions and promoting dialogue through the ongoing regional mediation efforts to address the situation in the eastern DRC. Xia is expected to brief the Security Council next week on the Secretary-General’s latest semi-annual report on the implementation of the 2013 Peace, Security, and Cooperation Framework for the DRC and the region (PSC-F), which was circulated to Council members on 1 April.
At today’s meeting, the representative of Angola may highlight the AU’s engagement on the situation in eastern DRC, including the meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council (AUPSC) on the sidelines of the AU summit in February, during which the AUPSC expressed support for regional efforts; underscored the need to enhance coordination, complementarity, and harmonisation of decision-making between the AU, EAC, and SADC; and requested the AU Commission Chairperson to set up a funding mechanism to support the ongoing regional mediation processes. They may also refer to the outcome of a 5 April meeting of the Bureau of the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government which addressed the crisis in eastern DRC. At that meeting, Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé was nominated to assume the role of mediator, succeeding Angolan President João Lourenço. His nomination is expected to be confirmed by the AU Assembly of Heads of State and Government. Lourenço, who had facilitated one of the regional mediation initiatives known as the Luanda Process, stepped down from the role following his election as the rotating Chairperson of the AU in February. The other regional mediation initiative, known as the Nairobi Process, is facilitated by former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The representatives of Kenya and Zimbabwe may highlight the EAC and SADC’s joint efforts to address the situation in eastern DRC. The two organisations held their first joint summit on 8 February in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where they called for a cessation of hostilities and an immediate ceasefire. The EAC and SADC Chiefs of Defense Forces were instructed to develop a “securitisation plan” for Goma—the provincial capital of North Kivu, which was captured by the M23 in January—and its surrounding areas. At this summit, the EAC and SADC leaders also decided to merge the Luanda and Nairobi processes.
During their second summit, held virtually on 24 March, the EAC and SADC adopted a roadmap developed by their joint chiefs of defence. The roadmap outlines measures for the short, medium, and long term aimed at achieving sustainable peace in eastern DRC. At today’s meeting, Council members are expected to seek more information on how the recently adopted roadmap will be operationalised, including the implementation of the “securitisation plan” and the specific requirements for verifying and implementing a ceasefire. They may also be interested in understanding MONUSCO’s potential role in supporting these efforts.
At the 24 March summit, the EAC and SADC leaders also appointed five co-facilitators for the merged process, selected with gender, regional, and linguistic balance in mind: former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Kgalema Motlanthe (South Africa), Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic), and Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia). On 1 April, the co-facilitators attended the inaugural meeting with Kenyan President William Ruto, chair of the EAC, who reportedly briefed them on their mandate. This afternoon, Council members are likely to seek further details about the role of the co-facilitators and their planned actions to advance the peace process in the coming period. They may also wish to understand how the co-facilitators intend to coordinate with the AU’s nominated mediator, Gnassingbé.
The other important issue which members may seek more information about is how the African-led processes align with the discussion initiated in Doha, Qatar. Recently, Qatar has become a part of the mediation efforts by facilitating direct talks between DRC President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Doha on 18 March under the auspices of the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. During the Council’s latest meeting on the situation in the DRC, held on 27 March, several Council members welcomed the Doha meeting, where the two leaders “reaffirmed the commitment of all parties to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire”, as called for by the 8 February joint EAC/SADC summit. Delegations representing the Congolese government and the M23 are reportedly in Doha; however, the direct talks initially scheduled for 9 April did not take place, as the conditions for the talks had yet to be finalised. This afternoon, Council members may seek clarity on how the Doha discussions are expected to feed into and complement the African-led mediation processes, an issue that Qatar is likely to address.
