🕊️ Obasanjo Intensifies Mediation to End DRC Conflict
High-level talks with Kagame and Tshisekedi signal push for regional peace
In a renewed bid to end the long-standing crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo continued his mediation mission, meeting with DRC President Félix Tshisekedi in Kinshasa on June 25, shortly after holding crucial talks with Rwandan President Paul Kagame in Kigali.
Obasanjo, a towering figure in African diplomacy, co-chairs the Panel of Facilitators for the eastern DRC peace process, alongside former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta. The panel, formed in March, brings together five respected former African heads of state under the mandate of both the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
“The discussions I had with my two brothers from Rwanda and the DRC are on the right track,”— Olusegun Obasanjo
The panel’s mission is clear: broker direct dialogue between the Congolese government and armed factions, including the AFC-M23 rebels, and enforce key security measures — among them the disbandment of the FDLR, a militia linked to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Tensions remain high due to ongoing alleged collaboration between the FDLR and the Kinshasa administration, a major sticking point in the Rwanda-DRC relationship.
Obasanjo’s diplomacy marathon is far from over. He’s scheduled to report in Lomé, Togo, to President Faure Gnassingbé, the African Union’s appointed mediator in the Rwanda-DRC conflict.
“I will travel to Lomé to present my report and consider what needs to be done to achieve lasting peace in the region,”— Obasanjo
While Obasanjo leads African diplomatic efforts, Qatar and the United States continue to back parallel peace initiatives, underscoring the global urgency to stabilize the Great Lakes region.