Entebbe, Uganda – President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday hosted leaders of the African Union–East African Community–Southern African Development Community (AU–EAC–SADC) panel of facilitators supporting the DRC peace process at State House, Entebbe.
The high-level delegation was chaired by Togolese President Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé. It included former African heads of state Olusegun Obasanjo, Uhuru Kenyatta, Sahle-Work Zewde, Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi, and Catherine Samba-Panza.
The panel has been mandated to support dialogue, strengthen regional coordination, and promote sustainable peace and stability in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Addressing the delegation, President Museveni said the conflict in the DRC is well understood in the region. He warned that continued instability carries serious humanitarian consequences, particularly for Uganda.
“You find the Congolese refugees share ethnic ties with our people. We know the problem well. It is really a shame it has taken so long, because it is easy to solve,” Museveni said.
He noted that Uganda currently hosts more than 500,000 Congolese refugees. This figure forms part of a wider population of about two million refugees from neighbouring countries, including South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi and Somalia. According to Museveni, shared cultural and ethnic ties intensify the humanitarian impact.
President Gnassingbé thanked Museveni for hosting the delegation and praised Uganda’s commitment to regional peace and stability.
“On behalf of the delegation, I sincerely thank Your Excellency for the warm reception,” he said.
He also acknowledged Museveni’s long-standing role in mediation efforts, adding that the panel values his experience and guidance. “We present the issues to you and seek your advice, given your long-standing familiarity with the problem,” Gnassingbé said.
Former Nigerian President Obasanjo stressed that lasting peace in eastern DRC requires African-led solutions.
“We have taken it upon ourselves to find African solutions to African problems. Some solutions from Washington, Qatar, or France may not fully address local realities,” he said.
Reflecting on his involvement in the DRC since 1960, Obasanjo said the core issue remains the management of diversity within the country and its relations with neighbours.
“For us to solve the problem, we must all diagnose the disease properly and then administer the correct dosage of cure. That is why we are here now,” he said.
Obasanjo also praised the African Union’s leadership, including the establishment of a joint headquarters in Addis Ababa. He emphasised that external partners should play a supportive, not dominant, role. However, he cautioned that ignoring external actors entirely could allow other interests to disrupt the process.
President Museveni recalled that when Obasanjo first visited Leopoldville in 1960, Katanga sought to secede from Congo under Moïse Tshombe. Today, he said, no such calls exist.
Museveni described this shift as positive. He noted that, despite ongoing suffering, there are no renewed demands for secession, which he called a sign of progress.
The meeting was also attended by Uganda’s ministers, Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations Adonia Ayebare, and former Prime Minister Amama Mbabazi.
