Conflict in DRC: African Union names Togolese president Faure Gnassingbé as new mediator

Faure Gnassingbé, president of Togo, will continue the African Union's mediation attempts in the conflict between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwandan-backed rebel group M23 in eastern DRC.

He will replace the Angolan president Joao Lourenço, who stepped down from the role last month to prioritise Angola's presidency of the African Union.

"Angola recognises the need to free itself from the responsibility of mediating this conflict... in order to more comprehensively focus on the general priorities established by the continental organisation," Luanda said in a statement.

Mediation has been a challenging task in the conflict in eastern DRC, which entered a new phase in January 2025 when the M23 launched a lightning-speed offensive into North Kivu province and took over the cities of Goma and Bukavu.

Through Angola's mediation, Kinshasa agreed to direct talks with the rebel group, but talks scheduled to take place in Luanda in mid-March failed when the M23 pulled out at the last minute after EU sanctions were imposed on some of its leaders.

For the African Union, leading the peace negotiations has become even more complex due to a parallel mediation process launched by Qatar.

At a surprise meeting in Doha in March, the Congolese and Rwandan presidents engaged in direct discussions for the first time since the M23 took over the cities of Goma and Bukavu in eastern DRC earlier this year.