African Union (AU) leaders convene in Addis Ababa for their 39th Ordinary Summit on February 14-15, with the protracted conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) high on the agenda. The meeting occurs as AU-facilitated peace efforts intensify, focusing on the long-standing continental goal of “silencing the guns.”
The summit follows a regional tour by an AU-appointed facilitation team led by Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé. The delegation, which included former heads of state Olusegun Obasanjo, Sahle-Work Zewde, Mokgweetsi Masisi, and Catherine Samba-Panza, consulted with governments in Kinshasa, Kigali, Bujumbura, Kampala, and representatives of the AFC/M23 rebel movement. These consultations aimed to harmonise the AU-led process with the separate Doha peace talks between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23.
The Doha negotiations address root causes of the conflict, including governance, political exclusion, and ethnic tensions. A parallel “Washington process,” mediated by the United States, focuses on security issues between Rwanda and the DRC, notably the presence of the FDLR militia. The AU monitors compliance across both tracks and helps resolve disputes.
A key development was the February 2 agreement to deploy joint monitoring teams under AU coordination to implement existing ceasefire protocols and negotiate outstanding issues. Observers note, however, that the principal challenge is not a lack of agreements but their implementation. Both the AFC/M23 and the Rwandan government have publicly cited a lack of political will from the Congolese government as the primary obstacle.
“The biggest problem is not the agreements signed. The real problem is the lack of political will to implement them,” stated Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe. An AFC/M23 spokesperson, Oscar Balinda, echoed this, stating the movement expects the AU to enforce accountability mechanisms.
Analysts question the AU’s capacity to overcome this impasse. Legal expert Alphonse Mulefu acknowledged the AU’s formal recognition in both peace processes grants it leverage but expressed doubt about the body’s willingness to pressure Kinshasa on governance failures. Researcher Frederick Golooba Mutebi criticised the AU Commission for what he described as a selective response to incidents, such as its condemnation of an AFC/M23 attack on a drone command centre while remaining silent on alleged government airstrikes on civilians.
This perceived bias, Mutebi warned, could undermine confidence in the mediation and allow the DRC to deflect from internal security challenges. Compounding these concerns, the summit is expected to rotate the AU chairmanship to Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye. Analyst Jean Baptiste Gasominari noted that Burundian troops are fighting alongside the Congolese government coalition, a conflict of interest that could complicate the AU’s mediating role.
The summit’s outcome will be measured by whether it produces actionable recommendations to enforce existing agreements or remains mired in diplomatic process. The AU’s ability to present a unified, impartial front is seen as critical to advancing a resolution to a conflict that has destabilised the Great Lakes region for decades.
