Statement by H.E. Professor Robert DUSSEY

Your Excellency Minister and dear colleague António,
Ladies and Gentlemen, members of Minister António’s delegation,

I would like to extend a warm and fraternal welcome to Minister ANTÓNIO and his entire delegation to Lomé.

Our country is very pleased to welcome you once again today, following your recent visit to Lomé during which you were received in audience by H.E. M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ, President of the Republic.

Beyond the fact that our two countries are both African, they share a firm and mutual commitment to peace and stability on the continent. This shared attachment to peace one of Africa’s fundamental values undoubtedly forms one of the cornerstones of the relations between Angola and Togo.

Just like H.E. M. João Manuel Gonçalves LOURENÇO, African Union Champion for Peace and Reconciliation in Africa a man of principle who strongly believes in the paradigm of “African solutions to African problems” H.E. M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ has full confidence in African expertise in the peaceful and diplomatic resolution of conflicts.

I would like to commend here the seriousness and dedication shown by your country since the appointment of President LOURENÇO as Mediator between the DRC and Rwanda, working tirelessly toward the restoration of peace and security in the eastern part of the DRC. Your country has fully grasped the gravity of the security situation in eastern DRC and has so far deployed significant and widely recognized efforts

Mr. Minister,

Upon the recommendation of President LOURENÇO and subsequently the Bureau of the African Union Assembly, President Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ was appointed on April 12 as the new Mediator by the African Union to continue the efforts toward restoring peace in eastern DRC.

While expressing our gratitude to your country, Angola, to the Bureau of the AU Assembly, to the African Union and its Member States, to the DRC, Rwanda, and all the States of the EAC and SADC, for the trust placed in Togo’s capacity for leadership and mediation, I wish to underscore that H.E.M. Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ is fully aware of the weight of this new responsibility and is determined to contribute meaningfully to peace and stability in eastern DRC and in the Great Lakes region.

For Togo, when a brotherly country is in difficulty, we cannot afford indifference. The pacification and stabilization of eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region is an essential step toward achieving lasting peace in Africa. Peace in Africa depends on peace in every country and in every region of the continent.

Mr. Minister,

You are certainly familiar with the African proverb which says, “It is with the old rope that the new one is woven.”

Togo’s approach to continuing the mediation will be dialectical in nature exploring new avenues for conflict resolution while preserving and building upon the progress and achievements already made, particularly those from the Luanda Process. Togo intends to rely on the foundations you have laid, as well as on the contributions of the Nairobi Process and all other stakeholders engaged and mobilized in resolving the conflict.

Today’s meeting responds to this need. It will allow us to take stock together of the Angolan mediation, which officially concluded on March 24, 2025, and also to share our perspectives on recent developments on the ground and make necessary updates. This will be done while keeping in mind the decision made to merge the Luanda and Nairobi processes adopted at the Joint Summit of Heads of State and Government of the EAC and SADC held on February 8, 2025, in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and fully endorsed by the AU Peace and Security Council at the level of Heads of State and Government on February 14, 2025, in Addis Ababa.

Mr. Minister and dear colleague,

Africa and the world are looking to Togo, and with the support of all particularly Angola, which currently holds the presidency of the African Union, the AU Commission, the AU Peace and Security Council, the EAC, the SADC, ECCAS, the United Nations, our partners, and the entire international community President Faure Essozimna GNASSINGBÉ will do his utmost to contribute to a return to normalcy in eastern DRC and the Great Lakes region.

In conclusion, I would like to thank your country for its willingness to support the Togolese mediation, as well as the entire community of African States and our international partners.

Thank you.