Despite diplomatic progress aimed at ending the brutal conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, senior officials today warned the Security Council that violence in the country's east continues unabated - with millions of women and girls disproportionately affected - and risks jeopardizing an otherwise positive trajectory in the wider Great Lakes region.
Tensions have been high between ethnically aligned armed groups in parts of the region for decades, punctuated by the horrific killing of nearly a million people during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. More recently, in 2022, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 armed group's intervention on Congolese soil. A peace agreement - known as the Washington Accords - was brokered in June 2025 and endorsed by the Council in resolution 2803 (2025) , though fighting continues.
Without Women's Leadership, Peace, Recovery Efforts Fail
"Peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will only be secured when women are treated not as collateral victims and their bodies as spoils of war, but as empowered agents of stability, accountability and peace," said Sima Sami Bahous, Executive Director of UN-Women, as she briefed the 15-member Council.
Describing the opportunities for women's leadership in the Great Lakes region as "unique and transformative", she said countries of the region already have some of the highest percentages of women's representation in politics in the world. However, the region's security now hinges on ending violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. "Without safety, women cannot lead, and without their leadership, peace and recovery efforts fail," she stressed.
Against that backdrop, she asked the Council to redouble its support for women's equal representation in peacemaking and for the work of women-led civil society organizations. She also urged members to protect funding for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), whose work supports local women and includes crucial protection for women human rights defenders.
Huang Xia, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for the Great Lakes region, outlined the various diplomatic initiatives focused on the conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Those included the signing of the Washington Accords in December 2025, the resumption of negotiations in Washington in March and the resumption of the Doha Framework talks aimed at defusing the violence perpetrated by the M23 militia.
Special Envoy Warns of Rising Sexual Violence, Mistrust
Despite those efforts, he said "the violence has taken on a new dimension" marked by the increasing use of advanced military technology, drone attacks and GPS jamming. Human displacement is widespread, food insecurity is rising and there has been an increase in sexual violence. "This is compounded by a worrisome rise in hate speech and identity-based polarization," he said, warning that the conflict could exacerbate tensions between countries in the region.
Indeed, he said, a persistent sense of mistrust among countries demonstrates the need to address the root causes of the conflict. The Council should lend its full support to regional talks led by Togo, as the African Union's mediator, including at the financial and technical levels.
Appealing directly to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and all relevant actors to resume "frank dialogue", he cautioned: "No resolution, no mediation, no verification mechanism can succeed unless the parties directly concerned choose the path of peace."
Council members took the floor to outline their views on recent diplomatic progress as well as the region's security situation - especially for women and girls.
Speakers Welcome Diplomatic Gains, African Leadership of Mediation Efforts
"The signing of the Washington Accords […] is a significant achievement," said the representative of the United States, voicing her country's expectation that the parties will abide by its terms. She also welcomed complementary diplomatic processes, including African Union-led talks, stressing: "Lasting peace and stability in the Great Lakes must ultimately be led and sustained by the region itself."
Many Council members and invited speakers also welcomed recent diplomatic strides, even as some struck a note of caution.
"Diplomatic progress must also translate into progress on the ground," said the United Kingdom's delegate. Millions of civilians have been displaced in the country's east, with women and girls disproportionately impacted. Inclusive governance, accountability and the safeguarding of rights are essential for the region's long-term stability.
Liberia's representative, also speaking for Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said the Washington Accords and Doha Frameworks show that diplomacy is still alive. However, those agreements - without credible commitments to implementation - do not build trust, "nor do they stop a single bullet". The African members of the Council are "clear-eyed" that there can be no peace in Africa while the Great Lakes region is unstable.
Emphasizing that African leaders have stepped up their mediation and support efforts, he said their work deserves stable and sustainable international support matched by concrete follow-through. "When mediation speaks in multiple voices, spoilers listen carefully and they will act accordingly," he warned, adding that violence in the region is fuelled not only by weapons but also profits from the illicit exploitation of natural resources.
China's representative echoed that point, noting that the region is home to rich natural resources and has enormous development potential. He called on countries to support development in the Great Lakes countries, while warning geopolitical actors against politicizing Africa's natural resources.
Moscow Denounces 'Pompous' Washington Accords as Others Voice Hope for 'New' MONUSCO Role in Ceasefire Implementation
"International diplomatic efforts are failing to generate the sought-after results," said the representative of the Russian Federation, issuing a blunt rebuke to the "pompous" announcement of an agreement reached recently between the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Rwanda in Washington, D.C. "The truce and the ceasefire remain dead-letter," she said, adding that real progress will only be possible when the parties begin to fulfil their obligations in good faith.
Angola's representative said his country has been actively engaging with Congolese stakeholders to create conditions for an inclusive, inter-Congolese dialogue. Stressing the importance of coordination among all mediation initiatives, he said the Council should compel all concerned parties to engage fully and meaningfully and implement their commitments.
Many speakers - including the representatives of Panama, Greece, Denmark, Bahrain (Council President for April) and Colombia - echoed the briefers' focus on the plight of women in that country's east, as well as their enormous potential to help end the deep-rooted and long-running conflict.
"The role of women must not be overlooked," said the representative of France, noting that women and girls are the main victims, largely due to armed groups' widespread use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. However, women can also play a decisive role in dealing with the drivers of conflict, the demobilization of armed groups, facilitating community-based reconciliation and fostering economic stabilization.
Meanwhile, the representative of Pakistan focused on MONUSCO's critical role in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, expressing support for the Mission's new task in ceasefire implementation, per Council resolution 2808 (2025) . The representative of Latvia agreed, pointing out that Secretary-General António Guterres has proposed that the Mission's new function be "conditions-based". "It is the responsibility of all parties to enable those conditions," she added.
Kinshasa, Kigali Offer Divergent Accounts of Threats, Obligations
The representative of the Democratic Republic of the Congo emphasized the complementary nature of the various diplomatic processes, noting that they all share common ground in firmly condemning the M23 offensive. Rwandan troops in his country have refused to yield to threats of international sanctions, leading all peace initiatives adopted at the regional and international levels to fail. More broadly, he rejected Kigali's "genocidal ideology" and said its concerns about hate speech could hardly be compared to actual massacres committed against his people.
Rwanda's delegate, meanwhile, said the Forces Democratiques de Liberation du Rwanda - known as FDLR - and related groups represent an "existential threat" to his country and to wider regional stability. Kigali has upheld its commitments "in both letter and spirit", he said, strongly rejecting the escalation of hate speech and ethnic targeting against Rwandophone communities. In light of the 1994 genocide, the Council has historic evidence that it should pay close attention to such rhetoric, he said.
