Open Letter Urgent actions proposed for the AU PSC Heads of State and Government convening on the DRC Crisis at the 38th AU Summit
POLICY BRIEF
12 February 2025 The Peace and Security Council (PSC) of the African Union (AU)
Entreprises et droits humains : H.E. La Teodoro Tunisie Obiang doit seNguema saisir pleinement des instruments internationaux President of Equatorial Guinea
H.E. Miguel Ntutumu Evuna Permanent Rep. of Equatorial Guinea to the AU Chairperson of the AU PSC in the month of February Addis Ababa Excellencies, Subject: Urgent actions proposed for the AU PSC Heads of State and Government convening on the DRC Crisis at the 38th AU Simmit. We, the undersigned Congolese, African and International organizations, write to you to respectfully urge the Heads of State and Government attending the AU Peace and Security Council meeting scheduled for 14 February 2025 on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to take decisive actions, including setting clear timelines for the proposals outlined in this letter. We applaud the efforts by the AU in response to the recent outbreak of the violence in Goma, DRC. We acknowledge efforts by the PSC to convene the Emergency Ministerial meeting held on 28 January 2025 and the resultant Communiqué, mandating the AU Commission to immediately deploy a fact-finding mission on the ongoing crisis in Eastern DRC We also note the efforts so far of the AU Commission Chairperson, Mr. Moussa Faki, to engage with the joint SADC-EAC Summit on the DRC crisis convened on 8 February 2025 which called for the cessation of hostilities and an immediate ceasefire; restoration of essential utilities and supply lines for food and other essential commodities to ensure humanitarian support; and peaceful resolution to the conflict through the Luanda/Nairobi process. The armed conflict between the “Mouvement du 23 Mars” (M23), supported by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF), and the armed forces of the DRC (FARDC), supported by its allies, including armed groups, since the resumption of armed activities of the M23 at the end of 2021, has resulted in serious Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law violations, which may amount to international crimes, including sexual and genderbased violence, and forcible transfer and displacement of civilians.