AU Peace Panel Meets Rwanda President Over DRC Conflict

The African Union Panel of Facilitators met with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe in Kigali on October 8, 2026. The discussions focused on the AU-led peace process and the root causes of instability in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the broader Great Lakes region.

This meeting followed a visit to Goma on October 5, where the delegation consulted with leaders of the Alliance Fleuve Congo/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), including political coordinator Corneille Nangaa. During their time in the DRC, the facilitators also visited displaced persons' sites in Nyiragongo to assess the humanitarian impact of the conflict.

The panel, which includes former presidents Uhuru Kenyatta, Sahle-Work Zewde, and Mokgweetsi Masisi, is operating under a six-month roadmap established in July 2026. The AU aims to move beyond temporary ceasefires toward a durable political settlement. To achieve this, the panel is seeking better coordination between its mediation efforts and other diplomatic tracks, including Washington-backed processes and the Doha talks between Kinshasa and the AFC/M23.