Brief

Former African Presidents Meet in Kigali to Push DRC Peace Process

The African Union panel met on Oct. 6 in Kigali, following talks in Goma, to advance the Washington Peace Agreement and address humanitarian concerns.

By Felo News Desk · Published Wed, 14 Oct 2026 03:16:22 GMT

Three former African heads of state met in Kigali, Rwanda, on Oct. 6 as part of an African Union (AU) panel seeking to advance the peace process in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Al Jazeera reported.

What happened

The AU consultations followed a day‑long meeting in Goma, eastern DRC, on Oct. 5. The Kigali session focused on implementing the Washington Peace Agreement, security arrangements, disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of fighters, refugee protection and regional economic cooperation. The delegation included former Ethiopian President Sahle‑Work Zewde, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi.

What the reports add

Al Jazeera noted that the Kigali talks were the second in a series, with the panel meeting UN agencies – MONUSCO, OCHA and the ICRC – as well as the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (EJVM+) and the M23 rebel group’s political wing AFC/M23. The AU statement stressed the need for cease‑fire respect, cooperation with verification mechanisms, civilian protection, safe humanitarian access and prevention of sexual and gender‑based violence.

What was said

The AU statement quoted the facilitators as saying they would continue engagements in Kinshasa to support dialogue and advance the peace process. No individual quotations from the former presidents were included in the report.

How it came about

The Kigali consultations build on earlier regional efforts, including the Geneva talks on eastern Congo reported by Felo News on Sep. 16 and the displacement crisis covered on Sep. 24, which highlighted the humanitarian fallout of the conflict. The AU panel’s work follows the Washington Peace Agreement signed earlier this year, aiming to bring together security, humanitarian and economic strands of the peace effort.

Key facts

Former Ethiopian President Sahle‑Work Zewde, former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi met in Kigali on Oct. 6. (aljazeera.com)
The meeting followed a Goma session on Oct. 5 that involved UN agencies and the M23 political wing. (aljazeera.com)
Discussions covered the Washington Peace Agreement, cease‑fire compliance, refugee protection and regional economic cooperation. (aljazeera.com)