African Union rejects seizure of power by force in DRC
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Mali Actu
The African Union calls for respect for the ceasefire in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Doha and Washington peace processes, while rejecting any seizure of power by force. The position comes as violence persists in the country’s east, notably in Ituri, according to Mali Actu.
The African Union (AU) rejects any seizure of power by force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), said Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, chairperson of the continental organisation’s Commission. He called for respect for the ceasefire and the Doha and Washington peace processes, according to Mali Actu.
The AU did not name former Congolese president Joseph Kabila or the Front for the Refoundation of the Nation (FRN), a new movement formed from the reshaping of the former AFC/M23 rebel coalition. This caution comes as violence persists in the east of the DRC, notably with abuses attributed to the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo (Codéco) in Ituri and population displacement caused by fighting.
Congolese academics and civil society representatives are calling for nationally designed resolution mechanisms. Dieudonné Lossa Dekhana, coordinator of civil society in Ituri, believes external mediations must be complemented by home-grown solutions, while analysts expect the AU to promote inclusive and binding dialogue.
The AU’s position comes after Corneille Nangaa received AU facilitators in Goma on 5 October, and as Joseph Kabila accused Félix Tshisekedi of worsening the crisis on 9 October. Civil society organisations in eastern Congo subsequently backed the former president’s movement on 20 October.
Summary produced with the help of artificial intelligence tools, under AFREEQUE’s editorial responsibility.
