President Paul Kagame on Wednesday, October 7, met members of the African Union Panel of Facilitators working on the peace process in eastern DR Congo, at Village Urugwiro. ALSO READ: Rwanda demands accountability for DR Congo failure to neutralise FDLR The delegation included former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi. Yackoley Kokou Johnson, a Togolese official and representative of the AU lead mediator for the eastern DR Congo crisis, Faure Gnassingbé, also joined the delegation. Their discussions focused on the AU-led peace process and next steps towards achieving lasting peace and stability in eastern DRC, including addressing the root causes of the conflict, Village Urugwiro said after the meeting. The meeting followed an earlier engagement between Kenyatta and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier Nduhungirehe. Nduhungirehe said the discussions focused on the work of the Panel of Facilitators and ongoing efforts to move the peace process forward. ALSO READ: Nduhungirehe, Kenyatta discuss peace efforts for DR Congo The AU Panel of Facilitators also includes former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza. The facilitators' work is linked to the two main tracks dealing with the conflict, the Washington peace process between Rwanda and DR Congo and the Doha process between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 movement. The Washington Accords of December 4, 2025, provide for the neutralisation of the Kinshasa-backed FDLR militia, after which Rwanda is to lift its defensive measures against the threat. Rwanda has for years called for the disarmament of the FDLR, a group founded by remnants of perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For over three decades, the UN- and US-sanctioned militia has launched attacks on Rwanda and spread genocide ideology targeting Congolese Tutsi communities. AU-led efforts to restore peace in DR Congo The AU is a guarantor of the Washington process and is involved in its implementation alongside Qatar and the United States. ALSO READ: AU facilitators urge dialogue, restraint after Goma visit The Washington peace process is complemented by the Doha peace process, initiated in April 2025, which brings together the Congolese government and AFC/M23 for talks on a political settlement to the conflict inside DR Congo. The Doha process also includes arrangements for monitoring and verification of the ceasefire between the two sides. The AU supports the Doha process through its mediation and ceasefire-monitoring role, while the facilitators engage the parties and other stakeholders to advance dialogue and address the causes of the conflict. The facilitators, who are on a regional tour, were in Goma on Monday, where they held consultations with AFC/M23 officials led by the movement's Political Coordinator Corneille Nangaa. ALSO READ: AU facilitators meet AFC/M23 leaders in Goma The facilitators also held consultations with representatives of MONUSCO, OCHA, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus on the peace process and the security and humanitarian situation. In a statement on Wednesday, the facilitators said the Goma consultations were intended to hear views on the peace process and identify measures that could strengthen confidence between the parties. They also called for continued engagement through the Doha process and respect for ceasefire commitments. The facilitators are expected to continue consultations with parties to the conflict and countries in the region.
