President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday received Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé at State House, Entebbe, as regional leaders intensified diplomatic efforts to restore peace in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
President Gnassingbé is in Uganda on a working visit as part of the African Union–East African Community–Southern African Development Community (AU–EAC–SADC) Panel of Facilitators tasked with steering the fragile DRC peace process.
In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Museveni said he had “warmly welcomed” the Togolese leader, emphasizing the region’s collective commitment to dialogue and a sustainable political solution to the long-running conflict in eastern DRC.
The high-level panel brings together several former and sitting African heads of state, including former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Kenyan President Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde, former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi, and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza.
The AU–EAC–SADC initiative was formed to harmonise regional peace efforts, following years of overlapping mediation tracks that yielded limited results amid continued fighting involving Congolese armed forces, rebel groups, and foreign-backed militias.
Uganda has played a central role in regional security dynamics around the DRC, both through diplomatic engagement and joint military operations against armed groups operating in eastern Congo. Kampala has consistently pushed for a political solution anchored in dialogue, alongside coordinated regional security measures.
President Museveni said the visit underlined the region’s shared resolve to end instability in the DRC, which has displaced millions and undermined economic integration in the Great Lakes region.
President Gnassingbé’s visit is expected to include consultations with members of the facilitation panel and Ugandan officials on the next steps in the peace roadmap, including ceasefire mechanisms, confidence-building measures, and engagement with armed actors and regional stakeholders.
The DRC conflict remains one of Africa’s most complex security crises, with renewed international focus on finding an African-led solution that delivers lasting peace.
