The UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region, Huang Xia, met with Togolese Minister of State and Chairman of the Ministerial Council, Faure Gnassingbé, during his visit to Togo. On behalf of the United Nations, the diplomat commended Gnassingbé's peacekeeping activities in his role as a mediator for the African Union (AU), as reported by the country's official information portal.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of the second Lomé Forum on Peace and Security.
The UN Special Envoy, who is responsible for settlement efforts in the Great Lakes region, expressed support for Gnassingbé's work in resolving the conflict between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. He noted that some progress has already been made in the settlement process and the disarmament of rebel groups. However, Huang Xia emphasized that "there is still a long way to go" before the conflict is fully resolved.
This marks the second meeting between the two officials. Previously, in August 2025, Gnassingbé and Huang Xia discussed the signing of the Washington Agreement between the DRC and Rwanda and the need to address the root causes of the crisis in the region as part of the settlement process.
In April, Gnassingbé, then serving as President of Togo, accepted the African Union's proposal to act as a mediator in the conflict in eastern DRC.
Earlier in 2025, the "March 23 Movement" (M23) rebels intensified their activities in eastern DRC. Authorities reported the capture of key cities in the North and South Kivu provinces and alleged Rwandan support for the rebels—a claim that Kigali denies.
Vadim Mikheev
