The African Union (AU) Commissioner for Peace and Security, Ambassador Smaïl Chergui, met with the AU Facilitator in the Congolese National Dialogue, former Prime Minister of Togo, Mr Edem Kodjo, together with the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, Ambassador Said Djinnit, and the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), Maman Sidikou, to exchange views on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The meeting took place within the context of UN Resolution 2277(2016) and the AU – UN strategic partnership. 

The discussions centred on how to assist the Congolese stakeholders in their national dialogue through the strengthening of the Facilitation. In this respect, they exchanged views on how to step up their engagements with the various Congolese actors so that the Dialogue can begin in earnest. The meeting therefore called on all political actors in the country to extend their full cooperation to the AU Facilitator, former Prime Minister of Togo, Mr. Edem Kodjo, bearing in mind that there is no alternative to dialogue in confronting the challenges facing their country.

The meeting stressed that the deepening of democracy and the promotion of the rule of law in line with the Congolese Constitution and relevant UN and AU instruments are essential to the preservation of stability and peace in the DR Congo and urged political stakeholders to spare no efforts to avoid any new suffering for the Congolese people.