A UN official says the "window of opportunity" for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The envoy praises progress in diplomatic efforts despite the worsening security and humanitarian situation.

A senior UN official has told the Security Council that there is a "window of opportunity" for peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a mineral-rich region embroiled in decades of conflict.

Huang Xia, the UN special envoy for the Great Lakes region, said on Tuesday that both the US-led and Qatari peace processes had made "significant progress".

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End of the list However, he added: "Despite this continuous diplomatic effort, the security and humanitarian situation in eastern DRC continues to deteriorate."

Several parties, including the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group and the Congolese army, have clashed over the territory, leading to a series of international diplomatic efforts.

Huang emphasized the "urgency of taking advantage of the window of opportunity now presented by the increased alignment of peace efforts."

"Such a window doesn't stay open forever," he said.

Therefore, I urge all parties to translate commitments into verifiable actions and to place trust in trust built through actions and not through declarations.”

The Congolese government and M23 signed a ceasefire commitment in July 2025 in Doha. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda also formalized a US-brokered peace deal in Washington, DC, in December.

However, the conflict on the ground has continued.

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

Hwang said the United Nations will facilitate a meeting on Oct. 18 in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, between the defense ministers of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania.