Democratic Republic of the Congo: Briefing and Consultations
Tomorrow afternoon (26 June), the Security Council will convene for an open briefing on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including the work of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). Special Representative of the Secretary-General in the DRC and Head of MONUSCO James Swan is expected to brief for the first time since his appointment in March. Rwanda is expected to participate in the meeting under rule 37 of the Council’s provisional rules of procedure. Closed consultations are scheduled to follow the open briefing.
Swan is expected to update Council members on recent political developments in the DRC based on the Secretary-General’s latest report on the mission, which was circulated to Council members on 19 June and covers developments since 19 March (S/2026/507). The DRC’s domestic politics has recently been dominated by the constitutional review, with President Félix Tshisekedi having indicated his interest in running for a third term. The Congolese opposition rejected the proposed constitutional changes, a position also shared by the Catholic and Protestant churches. Opposition-led protests early this month resulted in clashes with security forces, leaving several people injured, including opposition leaders Martin Fayulu, Delly Sesanga, and Jean-Marc Kabund, who had launched the Coalition Article 64 pour la défense de l’ordre constitutionnel (C64) in May. Swan is likely to describe MONUSCO’s use of its good offices role to engage Congolese stakeholders with the aim of deescalating tensions and encouraging dialogue.
Swan is also likely to elaborate on the status of ongoing mediation efforts, including those carried out as part of the Doha Framework for Peace signed between the Congolese government and the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) rebel group in November 2025; the Washington Accords agreed by the DRC and Rwanda in December 2025; and the African-led peace process under the leadership of the African Union (AU) mediator, President of Togo’s Council of Ministers Faure Gnassingbé.
Unable to meet in Doha due to instability in the Persian Gulf stemming from the US-Israeli war with Iran, representatives of the DRC and the M23 met instead in Montreux, Switzerland in April to review progress on the two protocols signed in Doha on prisoner exchange and ceasefire monitoring. Swan may highlight the memorandum of understanding that the parties signed with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) to operationalise the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+), a key component of the Ceasefire Oversight and Verification Mechanism agreed by the parties under the Doha Process. According to the Secretary-General’s report, the parties have already designated representatives to the EJVM+, ahead of its first planned ceasefire verification mission which is expected to take place soon.
At tomorrow’s meeting, Swan may focus on MONUSCO’s role in support of implementing a permanent ceasefire, especially the operationalisation of the EJVM+. In this regard, he might mention his consultations with the Congolese authorities as well as his visits to Goma (the capital of North Kivu) in April and early this month, including his engagements with the leadership of the M23 and the EJVM+, which is headquartered in the city.
US Senior Advisor for Arab and African Affairs Massad Boulos is expected to attend tomorrow’s meeting and may elaborate on US engagement in the peace process. On 24 June, the Joint Oversight Committee established under the Washington process met in London to take stock of developments since its last meeting in April. The meeting was attended by the DRC, Rwanda, the US, Qatar, Togo and the AU Commission. According to a US Department of State press release, the meeting discussed the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC. Representatives of the DRC and Rwanda also provided updates on efforts to fulfil their commitments under the Washington Accords.
Early this month, Gnassingbé chaired a meeting in Lomé aimed at enhancing coherence and coordination in the African-led process. The meeting was attended by the panel of co-facilitators and other international representatives, including Swan and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region Huang Xia. (For more information, on the co-facilitators see our 11 April 2025 What’s in Blue story.) The communiqué adopted at the end of the meeting reaffirms the centrality of the AU’s role in the ongoing mediation efforts, while also underscoring the need to strengthen synergy and complementarity with other processes to resolve the crisis in eastern DRC.
At tomorrow’s meeting, Council members are likely to express concern about the escalating security situation in eastern DRC, despite sustained engagement in the peace process and the efforts made to operationalise the ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Recently, fighting intensified across multiple fronts in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces between the Congolese armed forces (Forces armées de la République démocratique du Congo in French, or FARDC) and allied militias, on the one hand, and the M23 and affiliated militias, on the other. Media reports indicate that the M23 and its allied militias have recently recaptured the South Kivu town of Minembwe following intense fighting with the FARDC and its allied militias. Clashes have also continued in and around Rubaya, a major coltan mining site in North Kivu, as the DRC’s critical minerals attract growing international attention, including reported interest in the site from US companies.
The Secretary-General’s report provides further details about attacks perpetrated by other armed groups, including the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (CODECO) and the Convention pour la révolution populaire (CRP) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces. Swan may highlight MONUSCO’s efforts in carrying out its protection of civilians mandate, including through its rapid response capacity, to deter and repel attacks. Despite these efforts, the mission has faced growing public frustration amid the deteriorating security situation. According to the Secretary-General’s report, protests in Beni, a town in North Kivu, caused damage to two MONUSCO vehicles and left one peacekeeper injured.
Council members remain concerned about the operational and resource constraints facing MONUSCO in carrying out its mandated tasks. The Secretary-General’s report notes that the contingency measures implemented by the mission to mitigate the impact of the UN liquidity crisis have reduced its operational capacity in several areas, including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, early warning, medical support, and human rights monitoring. The report also indicates continued restrictions on the mission’s freedom of movement in M23-controlled areas of North Kivu as well as the ongoing suspension of banking and airport operations in Goma, while noting progress in facilitating troop rotation and repatriation.
These challenges, coupled with the prevailing security situation in eastern DRC, have apparently prompted some Council members to question the role that MONUSCO could play in ceasefire monitoring. These members apparently argue that the necessary conditions for the mission to undertake such a role have not yet been established. This issue was a key factor preventing agreement on a draft presidential statement proposed in March by France, the penholder on the DRC, which sought to facilitate a review and adjustment of the mission’s posture and footprint in accordance with resolution 2808 of 19 December 2025, which last renewed MONUSCO’s mandate.
The Ebola outbreak in the DRC is another topic that is likely to be discussed at tomorrow’s meeting. Several members are expected to address the issue in their remarks, highlighting its security and humanitarian implications. According to the Secretary-General’s report, the outbreak has affected the three provinces in eastern DRC—Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu—with 808 confirmed cases and 192 confirmed deaths. Swan may also provide an update on the outbreak’s impact on MONUSCO’s operations and its ability to implement its mandate.
Council members have been negotiating a draft resolution proposed by France to extend the 1533 DRC sanctions regime and the mandate of the Group of Experts assisting the 1533 DRC Sanctions Committee. At the time of writing, the draft text has yet to be put in blue and it was unclear when the vote on the draft would take place.
