President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on Tuesday hosted members of the African Union–East African Community–Southern African Development Community (AU–EAC–SADC) Panel of Facilitators for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace process at State House, Entebbe, as regional leaders intensified efforts to restore stability in eastern Congo.
The meeting formed part of ongoing diplomatic initiatives aimed at advancing dialogue and addressing the long-running conflict that has fuelled insecurity and humanitarian crises in the eastern DRC.
The panel is chaired by Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of Togo, and brings together former African heads of state mandated to support regional mediation and strengthen collective African-led solutions. Members of the delegation include Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Uhuru Kenyatta (Kenya), Sahle-Work Zewde (Ethiopia), Dr Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi (Botswana), and Catherine Samba-Panza (Central African Republic).
Addressing the delegation, President Museveni said the conflict in the DRC is well known across the region and should not be allowed to persist, given its deep humanitarian and historical consequences.
Uganda, he noted, currently hosts more than 500,000 Congolese refugees, who form part of nearly two million refugees from the wider region living in the country. Many of them, he added, share close ethnic and cultural ties with communities in western and south-western Uganda.
“It is a shame that it is taking so long to solve,” Museveni said, expressing concern over the slow pace of progress toward a durable settlement despite the conflict’s long history.
The President recalled earlier debates surrounding Congo’s future, including the Katanga secession, arguing that the current challenges stem from unresolved grievances that can still be addressed through sustained dialogue and a clear understanding of realities on the ground.
President Gnassingbé thanked Museveni for hosting the panel and commended Uganda’s continued commitment to regional peace and mediation efforts.
“On behalf of the delegation, I sincerely thank Your Excellency for the warm reception,” Gnassingbé said, acknowledging Museveni’s experience and role in regional conflict resolution.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo stressed that achieving lasting peace in eastern DRC requires African-led solutions, cautioning against overreliance on external interventions.
“This crisis is not only about the M23. Many grievances remain unaddressed,” Obasanjo said. “Solutions imported from Washington, Doha, Paris, or elsewhere may help, but they cannot provide a complete or lasting solution.”
He added that while external partners have a role to play, their involvement should remain complementary to African initiatives.
“We are not pushing away those who have shown interest. They are helpful in the process we are trying to advance,” he said.
Obasanjo further emphasised the need to correctly identify the root causes of the conflict.
“It is the challenge of managing diversity within the DRC and its relationship with neighbours. To solve the problem, we must diagnose it properly and administer the right medicine.”
The meeting was also attended by senior Ugandan officials, including Cabinet ministers, Uganda’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare, and former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.
The Entebbe talks come amid renewed regional and international efforts to stabilise eastern Congo, where decades of armed conflict have displaced millions and strained relations among neighbouring states.
