UN sees 'window of opportunity' for peace in eastern DR Congo

Senior AFC/M23 members attend a press conference. [AFP]

A senior UN official said Tuesday there is a "window of opportunity" for peace in the eastern DR Congo, a region rich in minerals and plagued by decades of conflict.

Several parties including the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group and the Congolese army have clashed in the territory, prompting a series of international diplomacy efforts.

Huang Xia, the UN special envoy for the impacted Great Lakes Region, told the Security Council that both US- and Qatar-led peace processes have achieved "notable progress."

However, "despite this sustained diplomatic effort, the security and humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo has continued to worsen."

Huang stressed the "urgency of seizing the window of opportunity, which is currently offered by the increased alignment of peace efforts."

"Such a window does not remain open indefinitely," he added.

"I therefore urge all parties to translate commitments into verifiable actions, and to place their trust in confidence built through deeds rather than through declarations."

The Congolese government and the M23 signed a commitment towards a ceasefire in Doha in July 2025, while the DRC and Rwanda formalized a US-brokered peace deal in December in Washington.

However, fighting has continued on the ground.

New talks were held in August in Switzerland, involving representatives from the United States, Qatar and the African Union.

Huang said the United Nations will facilitate a meeting on October 18 in Zambian capital Lusaka between the defense ministers of Burundi, the DRC, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.