On Thursday, October 30, a Conference in support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region of Africa was held in Paris. It was organized by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Togolese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Togolese Abroad . It brought together 70 delegations from states and international organizations, including the European Union and the African Union, as well as some 40 international and local NGOs.

The objective of the Paris conference ”  Support for peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region  “ was structured around three axes:

• To put the security and humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC “at the top of the pile” of international issues, recalling the obstacles to humanitarian action and the violations of IHL (International Humanitarian Law).
• To mobilize funds to respond to the scale of the humanitarian crisis and development needs, first in the DRC but also in neighbouring countries impacted by the crisis, and to support peace initiatives.
• Reaffirming a role for France and the African Union, following the signing, in the Oval Office of the White House on June 27, of a peace agreement, signed by Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe and Congolese Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, under the auspices of US President Donald Trump… By supporting this process initiated in Washington with the support of Qatar, which continues in Doha in order to reach a final agreement. 

In parallel, as part of the Paris Peace Forum held on October 29 and 30, an economic segment dedicated to deepening the economic integration of the Great Lakes region was held, culminating in the development of an action plan and recommendations involving private and public actors in the region.

Before attempting to outline prospects following the Paris conference, let us recall how the humanitarian catastrophe in eastern DRC justifies the mobilization of international actors: on October 29, on the LCI channel, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, declared, ”  In this Great Lakes region, the second most serious humanitarian crisis in the world is unfolding, with more than 27 million people facing food insecurity, 7 million displaced persons, 5 million people in acute crisis, a rape every four minutes, and the major health risk of a resurgence of epidemics such as Ebola or even AIDS. “

As Florian Monnerie, Director of Action Against Hunger in the DRC, points out, ”  For years, NGOs have been raising awareness about the dramatic humanitarian situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nearly 28 million people are facing acute food insecurity and one in two children suffers from chronic malnutrition. This is unacceptable.”

In light of this situation, Kevin Goldberg, Executive Director of the NGO Solidarités International, emphasizes that “The devastating scale of the ongoing conflict requires a strengthened and unified humanitarian diplomatic front  aimed at  laying the groundwork for a sustainable recovery… With 12 NGOs and coalitions of NGOs, we urge the international community to increase humanitarian funding, guarantee access to affected areas, and protect civilians and critical infrastructure… This crisis cannot be ignored. It is time to act .” This is especially crucial given that, as of October 15, 2025, only 16% of the $2.5 billion humanitarian response plan had been funded, compared to 53% by the end of 2024.  

At the root of this “lasting” humanitarian disaster lies the conflict, or rather the conflicts, that have been devastating eastern DRC for over thirty years, resulting in the deadliest toll since the Second World War: more than six million dead… Numerous armed groups, some supported by neighboring countries, have transformed South Kivu, North Kivu, and Ituri into hunting grounds for the plundering of the region’s natural resources, particularly minerals, and into fields of endless killings…

In recent years, the armed group M23 (named after the March 23, 2009 agreements) has been the most powerful destabilizing force in the region, with neighboring Rwanda acting as its “sponsor,” although Kigali denies any involvement in its emergence. While M23 was not invited to the Paris conference, it remains a central concern. On October 2, the UN published a report on the situation in the DRC, documenting 1,154 human rights violations and abuses across the country in just the last three months. According to this document, M23 is primarily responsible. On August 22, the UN Security Council had already condemned, in an emergency session, ”  the abuses and crimes committed by the Rwandan-backed ‘March 23’ rebel movement against civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo  .” The resolution stipulates respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC, as well as the UN Charter: “  We support the call made in this resolution for all Rwandan defense forces to withdraw from Congolese territory. We call on the parties to fully respect this resolution. Otherwise, this Council will have to consider further action .” It should also be noted that the M23 took control of the cities of Goma and Bukavu, as well as their airports, in January and February 2025.

Beyond the direct victims of the atrocities, the humanitarian consequences are numerous: repeated displacement of populations fleeing fighting and massacres, loss of resources, particularly food, and shelter, malnutrition, impossible or limited access to health facilities, vulnerability to diseases and infections, lack of hygiene and access to drinking water, epidemic risks, and exposure to rape and sexual assault for women, girls, and sometimes even young children. Amadou Bocoum, Country Director in the DRC for the NGO Care, warns in these terms: “ In Ituri, South Kivu, and North Kivu, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate… The situation of women and girls is particularly alarming.” Violence against women and girls continues to devastate communities… According to UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees), women and girls make up 51.1% of the internally displaced population, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen protection efforts.

Jean-François Corty, president of the NGO Doctors of the World, added: “  In North Kivu, 15,000 survivors of sexual violence are waiting for care that no longer exists. Without access to emergency contraception or post-exposure prophylaxis, these women and girls are condemned to suffer in silence… In recent years, the Congolese health system has collapsed under the weight of the conflict in the Great Lakes region. Without medicines or equipment, and difficult to access, health centers can no longer meet the growing needs of populations exposed to epidemics and violence . ”

Dr. De-Joseph Kakisingi, of the National Council of Humanitarian and Development NGO Forums in the DRC, explains that “The isolation of the cities of Bukavu and Goma, the closure of airports, and the suspension of USAID funding have led to serious stockouts of essential and strategic medicines such as antituberculosis drugs, antiretrovirals, antimalarials, oxytocin for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage, insulin, vaccines, etc. This situation is causing an increase in maternal and infant deaths (caused by postpartum hemorrhage) and a resurgence of previously controlled diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, malaria, diabetes, and epidemics… We are facing a veritable ‘health and biological time bomb’.”

Justine Muzik Piquemal, regional director at SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL, laments that “  The cycle of destruction and reconstruction perpetuates a state of chronic vulnerability, undermines the resilience of communities, and wastes limited resources … Water and sanitation infrastructure repaired in 2024 has been destroyed following targeted attacks. This intolerable situation contributes to the increase in cholera cases… We are witnessing massive and cumulative displacements.  ”

“Between January and July 2025, we recorded 38,000 cases of cholera. The health infrastructure is so degraded that it is unable to respond to outbreaks. In collaboration with medical organizations, we are seeking to provide solutions to prevent massive outbreaks from becoming uncontrollable,” adds Federica Badocco, Country Director in the DRC for SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL, who continues, “  The country is experiencing an extreme food crisis; this reflects a completely degraded system and deteriorated infrastructure—it’s catastrophic… We are collaborating with other organizations that are experts in different areas, such as shelter and camp management, to complement each other in our interventions and provide a coordinated response . ”

In the DRC, 90% of SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL’s work   focuses on emergency relief, but also includes development initiatives, such as in the Drodro health zone in Ituri province. In North Kivu, the organization also supports agricultural recovery for vulnerable households through income-generating activities. … Stephan Kanyama, program manager for this NGO in Ituri province, explains, “Initially, we implement rapid response actions to prevent the risk of epidemic outbreaks: installing emergency sanitation facilities, providing water, and raising awareness of good hygiene practices. Once the situation is somewhat more stable, we move to the second line of action: installing semi-permanent sanitation facilities, providing photovoltaic drinking water, and implementing social water management. These actions help strengthen the resilience of the population . ” “  We work extensively with communities, which also allows us to have tremendous acceptance from the Congolese population… Our strength lies in continuing on both sides of the front lines. Our mission is to help suffering populations, regardless of where they are, while respecting humanitarian principles: independence, humanity, impartiality and neutrality,” concludes Federica Badocco.

Given the scale of the needs, the organizers of the Paris conference aimed both to put this regional crisis back on the international agenda, to mobilize sufficient financial commitments, and to assert a role in ongoing diplomatic initiatives. Finally, “unblocking” humanitarian access, particularly through the reopening of airports like the one in Goma, was a first concrete objective to achieve.

What initial assessment and outlook can be drawn a few weeks after this conference?

For a few days, the situation in the DRC and the Great Lakes region resurfaced in the media and in the speeches of numerous diplomats and international decision-makers. This is positive, and the number of participants at the conference is in itself a political success. Will this concern for principle last? While other acute crises are also demanding attention, such as the situation in Sudan, particularly in Darfur, and the situation in Gaza, which is generating empathy and mobilization from both the public and politicians, one can legitimately ask the question…

Regarding financial commitments, here too, a distinction must be made. The announced sum of €1.5 billion, earmarked for emergency humanitarian aid, development support, and peace efforts in the region, includes both new and existing commitments: €500 million had already been pledged this year, and another portion corresponds to previous pledges renewed at the conference. Furthermore, Congolese President  Félix Tshisekedi , present in Paris, announced an emergency plan for the reconstruction of North and South Kivu, estimated at $5 billion to be mobilized by 2026, ”  once the conflict has ended  ,” without specifying the sources of funding for this plan. At a time when, since the decision by the American administration in January 2025 to suspend the majority of US humanitarian or development funding and to dismantle the USAID agency, international humanitarian action is facing a resource crisis of unprecedented magnitude, the question of the effectiveness of the financial promises made on October 30 in Paris will be scrutinized without complacency by actors on the ground.

As Luc Lamprière, director of the NGO Forum in the DRC, pointed out, “  The Paris Conference sent an important signal: at the level of speeches and promises, international solidarity with the people of the DRC remains alive. The financial announcements, although some are in reality a recycling of old commitments, and the diplomatic proclamations are welcome. However, they will only have meaning if they translate into concrete measures on the ground—starting with the immediate removal of all the administrative and logistical obstacles that are stifling the humanitarian response.”

Dr. Manenji Mangundu, Oxfam’s country director in the DRC, is even clearer: ”  Millions of Congolese men and women are waiting for a concrete response. The Paris conference cannot be satisfied with declarations: it must unlock funding, guarantee humanitarian access and reaffirm respect for international humanitarian law.”

Jean-Baptiste Lamarche, CEO and Co-founder of Hulo, the first humanitarian cooperative, a pioneer in pooling resources and innovation, stated, “  With  Hulo , we welcome the mobilization of €1.5 billion and the commitments aimed at improving humanitarian access in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This conference has brought to the forefront one of the world’s most serious crises, with more than 7 million displaced people and 27 million people in need… Collective action is essential to provide an effective and impactful response to this emergency.”

As for the effectiveness of a leading role for France and the African Union in supporting the ongoing peace process initiated in Washington and continued in Doha, this remains to be demonstrated. While there is a clear desire not to “leave the initiative to the US and Qatar alone,” the path seems narrow. Following the peace agreement of June 27 in Washington between the DRC and Rwanda (which includes, among other things, the withdrawal of Rwandan troops from eastern DRC and the end of DRC support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group opposed to Kigali and active in the DRC), the process is now underway in Doha. This process has already yielded some progress, such as the signing on July 19, 2025, of a “Declaration of Principles” between the Congolese government and the M23. This declaration sets out principles for a future comprehensive peace agreement, including a ceasefire, the return of displaced persons, the release of prisoners, and the restoration of state authority in areas controlled by the M23. Furthermore, on November 15, a framework agreement between the DRC and the M23 was signed in Doha, under Qatari mediation. This “roadmap” is based on eight thematic protocols and does not contain any binding clauses, but it represents a further step towards a final peace agreement.

What role remains for the AU, for France?   When questioned about possible consultations with the M23, the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, stated that ”  this international conference provided an opportunity to accelerate discussions on this subject, which will continue within the framework of Qatari mediation, with a new impetus given here in Paris  .” But it is only after the Doha process that a meeting between Presidents Tshisekedi, Trump, and Kagame  is being considered… Finally, a crucial element must be taken into account: the American “diplomatic investment” also reflects an investment in the mineral resources of eastern DRC, which the US wants to secure for its own benefit: rare earth elements, lithium, coltan (one of whose mines, Rubaya, is controlled by the M23; a clandestine export network to neighboring Rwanda has been established). In this regard, the American administration will not leave its interests at the mercy of initiatives other than its own…

Finally, the issue of the “promise” to reopen, at least, Goma airport for daytime humanitarian cargo flights, made by French President Emmanuel Macron, seems to be running up against the reality on the ground: for Corneille Nangaa, coordinator of the M23 movement, this decision is ”  inopportune, disconnected from the reality on the ground, and made without prior consultation  .” In Kigali, the Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs declares that ”  it is not in Paris that the decision to reopen Goma airport will be made  ” and that ”  this reopening cannot take place in the current security context  .” There is still a long way to go before humanitarian aircraft land on the runway of the capital of North Kivu…

After the Paris conference, an expectation emerged, and hope is on the horizon… But this must be approached with lucidity… and caution.

 

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The CDCS (Crisis and Support Centre of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs) at the heart of the Conference in support of peace and prosperity in the Great Lakes region of Africa.

The CDCS answers questions from Humanitarian Challenges:

 

– What is the exact number of countries represented, as well as international organizations and NGOs, at this conference? 

The Ministerial Conference in Support of Peace and Prosperity in the Great Lakes Region brought together 70 delegations from states and international organizations, as well as some 40 international and local NGOs. It is important to note that the four most affected countries in the region – the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda – were represented at the presidential or ministerial level.

– What were the respective roles of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, African Integration and Togolese Abroad in Togo, in the organization and facilitation of the conference? 

Ministers Jean-Noël Barrot and Robert Komlan Edo Dussey opened the humanitarian segment. The President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, and the President of the Council of the Togolese Republic, Faure Gnassingbé, closed it.

The two ministries mobilized to organize the event, both logistically and in terms of diplomatic efforts with participants, to encourage them to fully invest in the response to the humanitarian emergency in the Great Lakes region.

The two co-chairs also consulted with humanitarian actors on the ground, including international and local NGOs active in eastern DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda, at a meeting held prior to the conference, in order to best integrate the needs of the humanitarian community into the conference deliverables.

The co-chairs jointly endorsed a statement, published at the end of the conference.

– What was the CDCS’s involvement, both before and during this conference? 

The CDCS played a central role in organizing this conference on the humanitarian aspect, in conjunction with the Africa and Indian Ocean Directorate and the two other departments of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs in charge of humanitarian aid in France.

Prior to the conference, the CDCS organized a consultation with representatives of local and international NGOs, in the presence of the Minister’s Chief of Staff and a representative from the Togolese Minister’s office, to ensure that the observations of humanitarian actors on the ground were fully taken into account in the priorities promoted diplomatically during the event. The CDCS also identified the international and local NGOs invited to the conference. The CDCS maintained ongoing dialogue with NGO representatives both before and after the conference.

– Can we know the details of what the CDCS has been able to do directly or indirectly in the DRC in terms of support for humanitarian action and support for peace initiatives and negotiations between actors in the conflict? 

The CDCS supported 18 projects led by NGOs to address the crisis in the Great Lakes region. In the DRC, in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, and Kasai, this funding enabled the implementation of emergency projects in critical sectors such as health, nutrition, water, sanitation, education, and the protection of the most vulnerable, particularly women and children who are victims of sexual violence and exploitation on a dramatic scale. The CDCS also supported strengthening humanitarian access to affected populations and inter-community mediation projects to reduce violence and promote a return to peace.

In addition, in April and August 2025, the CDCS sent essential supplies to NGOs active in North Kivu, through two European Union humanitarian airlifts: 6.5 tonnes of pharmaceuticals, therapeutic food to combat malnutrition and equipment to ensure access to drinking water, and then 5 tonnes of medicines.

Finally, the CDCS’s partnership with the French Red Cross enabled the implementation of two emergency responses: in Burundi, following floods, and in the DRC, in support of communities affected by armed clashes in Goma in the weeks following the offensive and capture of the city by the M23.

– From the CDCS’s point of view, what is the outcome of this conference, and what prospects does it allow us to foresee? 

By organizing this conference, France and Togo chose to act as driving forces and succeeded in bringing together all the states of the region, as well as all the relevant international and regional organizations. This conference was a success from a humanitarian perspective.

• It enabled the mobilization of €1.5 billion for populations severely affected by the crisis in the Great Lakes region, focusing on humanitarian aid and development. The European Union’s mobilization was central to this response.
• It helped to strengthen the regional approach to crisis management, giving Uganda and Burundi a prominent place alongside the DRC and Rwanda, as well as other states in the region (Kenya, Congo Brazzaville and Angola in particular), across all segments of the conference.
• The significant high-level mobilization has brought the crisis in the Great Lakes region back into the spotlight.
• Furthermore, the full mobilization of humanitarian actors, particularly local actors from the four countries in the region, in preparation for and during the conference, ensured that the voices on the ground were heard. The final declaration endorses the  key requests  of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, that is, the main demands to facilitate humanitarian aid on the ground.
• The conference agreed to work towards resuming humanitarian flights to North Kivu in the coming weeks. The objective of opening humanitarian corridors, particularly from Burundi, was also taken into account.
• Finally, the Paris conference endorsed the ongoing mediation efforts—those of the United States, Qatar, and the African Union—to ensure the continuation of the peace process and the search for a political solution to the crisis in the Great Lakes region. An economic session was held alongside the humanitarian conference to strengthen regional economic integration through the adoption of a proposed action plan.

The key point, reiterated by the entire humanitarian community, of free, safe, and unimpeded humanitarian access will continue to be monitored and integrated into existing mediation frameworks, including the Doha Process. Finally, while emphasizing that the protection of civilians must be an absolute priority and a key indicator of progress in all diplomatic initiatives, we reaffirmed that those who violate international human rights law and international humanitarian law will not go unpunished.

Pierre Brunet

Writer and humanitarian

Pierre Brunet is a novelist and a member of the Board of Directors of the NGO SOLIDARITES INTERNATIONAL. He became involved in humanitarian work in Rwanda in 1994, then in Bosnia in 1995, and has since returned to the field (Afghanistan in 2003, the Calais Jungle in 2016, migrant camps in Greece and Macedonia in 2016, Iraq and Northeast Syria in 2019, Ukraine in 2023). Pierre Brunet’s novels are published by Calmann-Lévy: “Barnum” in 2006, “JAB” in 2008, “Fenicia” in 2014, and “Le triangle d’incertitude” in 2017. A former journalist, Pierre Brunet regularly publishes analytical articles, opinion pieces, and columns.