South Africa’s High Commissioner to Rwanda, Tinyiko George Hlungwane, has said DR Congo needs an all-inclusive national dialogue to resolve its internal conflict, arguing that Congolese people must take the lead in finding a solution.
"The situation in DR Congo, it's a situation that worries our country from the African point of view, that you don't want to see one country in Africa fighting with another. We don't want to see one country in Africa having fights within itself,” he said during an interview with The New Times podcast, The Context.
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"We believe in dialogue. We believe that people, when people are able to sit together and talk, there are results.”
Hlungwane said Congolese people must come together to resolve their own problems through dialogue, with support from other countries where needed.
"We are engaging with DR Congo and we are urging them that the problem is yours and the problem must be solved by you,” he said.
He said the dialogue should bring together Congolese people with differing views to identify the causes of the conflict and agree on how to resolve them.
"Inclusiveness is very critical. Include everyone, whether you agree with the person or not. It's the best way.”
On August 28, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi announced the launch of the dialogue, saying consultations would begin in the country’s 26 provinces before national-level discussions in Kinshasa. However, the Congolese president ruled out AFC/M23 rebels.
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AFC/M23 is fighting for governance that supports basic human rights, secures all Congolese citizens, and addresses the root causes of conflict. The rebellion has vowed to uproot tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and the genocide ideology spread by FDLR, among other vices, widespread in DR Congo.
On October 7, the African Union’s Panel of Facilitators urged renewed political engagement and respect for ceasefire commitments after consultations with AFC/M23 leaders in Goma.
The panel said lasting peace required continued engagement through the Doha peace process.
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AU should facilitate, not dictate
Hlungwane said the African Union should facilitate dialogue but leave Congolese people to determine its outcome.
"The AU must facilitate the national dialogue, but the solution must not be that of the AU. It must come out of the dialogue with DR Congo people, all inclusive.”
"What makes some of these things difficult is the external interferences of other countries, including countries from the West, and they are there for their own interests,” he added.
The AU is involved in separate but complementary peace efforts. The Doha process focuses on negotiations between the Congolese government and AFC/M23 over the conflict in eastern DR Congo, while the Washington process addresses security and political grievances between DR Congo and Rwanda.
The Washington Accords of December 4, 2025 provide for the neutralisation of the Kinshasa-backed FDLR genocidal militia and the lifting of Rwanda’s defensive measures against the threat posed by the group.
Security concerns remain
"We believe FDLR is not just a threat to Rwanda, it's an existential threat. We even know it to that extent. Rwanda has a right to protect itself as a country.”
"There is a clause that says DR Congo must demobilize, or they must stop aiding FDLR, which is one of the things that's not making progress, because they agreed, but we have Rwanda on the other end saying they are not implementing it, which is a cause for concern,” he added.