Togo’s President takes hands-on approach to Ease Congo crisis
In a quiet conference room in Kinshasa this Wednesday, President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo leaned forward across the negotiating table, listening intently to his Congolese counterpart. This wasn’t just another diplomatic formality – it marked the beginning of a personal mission to bring calm to Africa’s troubled Great Lakes region.
As the African Union’s appointed mediator, Gnassingbé has chosen to dive headfirst into one of the continent’s most complex conflicts.
His meetings with President Félix Tshisekedi represent the first steps in what promises to be a delicate balancing act between Congo and Rwanda, neighbors locked in a dispute with devastating humanitarian consequences.
What makes this mediation different:
• Grassroots understanding: Before high-level talks, Gnassingbé’s team consulted local communities affected by the violence
• Practical diplomacy: Rather than grand declarations, the focus is on creating working groups to address specific flashpoints
• Regional ownership: The process emphasizes African-led solutions without external interference
This new diplomatic step testifies to the Pan-African vision of H.E. Faure Gnassingbé, who favours cooperation, mediation and stability as pillars of continental development.
By choosing to become personally involved in this sensitive issue, he is embodying an active peace diplomacy that brings hope to the people of eastern DRC and, more broadly, to the Great Lakes region.
Jean-Robert TCHANDY
