Joint Statement from the International Contact Group for the Great Lakes (ICG)

The United States of America, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, chaired by Sweden, issue the following statement on the situation in the Great Lakes region:

The ICG participated in the Great Lakes Stakeholders and Experts Retreat, organised by the Office of the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region and Switzerland in Nairobi on 17-18 June. The ICG exchanged with signatory countries of the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework, representatives of regional and international mediation and facilitation teams, regional organisations, including the African Union (AU), the East African Community (EAC), the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), as well as independent experts and civil society representatives. The meeting took stock of peace, security, and economic dynamics in the Great Lakes Region. This includes the ongoing efforts by the African Union mediator and co-facilitators, the progress made under the Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity, led by the United States, and the work of the Qatari mediation leading the Doha process. A set of concrete options in support of ongoing peace efforts, and the implementation of commitments already made, were identified.

On 19 June, the ICG convened in Addis Ababa alongside the Representative of the AU-appointed Mediator Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic, and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Great Lakes Region, with the aim of further strengthening the dialogue and cooperation with the AU.

The delegation held meetings with the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the AU Commissioner for Political Affairs, H.E. Bankole Adeoye, and the AU-appointed facilitator and former President of Ethiopia, H.E. Sahle-Work Zewde. Discussions focused on current developments in the Great Lakes Region, the complementarity of mediation efforts, and the humanitarian situation in eastern DR Congo, including the ongoing Ebola outbreak. In addition, the delegation engaged in a dedicated dialogue with AU representatives on partnerships for sustainable peace.

The delegation also held consultations with civil society partners and researchers from the Great Lakes Region, including representatives of women and youth, with the participation of the AU Special Envoy on Women, Peace and Security, H.E. Liberata Mulamula. The ICG underlines the importance of considering the perspectives of the civil society and communities of the region.

African-led mediation, supported by strong regional engagement, remains central to achieving lasting peace in the Great Lakes Region. The ICG reiterates its support for the ongoing peace efforts by the AU-appointed mediator, Faure Gnassingbé, President of the Council of Ministers of the Togolese Republic, as well as the Panel of Facilitators, the AU Commission, and regional partners. We commend the progress achieved to date by the AU-led mediation and look forward to the next steps. The ICG supports the continued effort by all mediators to ensure cooperation and complementary between the AU, the Washington, and the Doha tracks.

The ICG calls on all parties to the conflict to build on this momentum and to engage constructively in dialogue. There can be no military solution to the conflict.