Statement by the Group of Francophone Ambassadors (GAF) in the DRC

We, members of the group of French-speaking ambassadors in the DRC, gathered on this Thursday, March 20, 2025, International Francophonie Day, representing countries with varied cultures and histories.

We are united, both by our attachment to the French language, and by the special bond we have with the Democratic Republic of Congo, the most populous French-speaking country in the world and with immense cultural, geostrategic and economic potential.

As the country is currently facing a violation of its sovereignty by Rwanda,we reaffirm our commitment to the independence and territorial integrityof all French-speaking countries and of the Democratic Republic of Congo in particular.

We attach the greatest importance to respecting this principle.

We express our deep concern at the rapid deterioration in security observedsince the beginning of the year in the east of the country, due to the offensive led by the March 23 movement, with the support of the Rwandan defense force.

This offensive led to the takeover of mainly the towns of Goma and Bukavu,capitals of North and South Kivu, on January 28 and February 14, 2025.

We are concerned about the devastating humanitarian consequences of this offensiveand the human rights violations committed against the population, in particular cases of sexual violence against women and the forced recruitment of child soldiers.

We call for the immediate cessation of hostilities, the withdrawal of the M23 from all areas it illegally occupies and the dismantling of the illegitimate parallel administrations it has established.

We also call on the defence forces of all uninvited third countriesto cease all support for the aforementioned rebel armed groups and to withdraw immediately and unconditionally from Congolese territory.

We demand an end to attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers, and United Nations personnel.

We support the diplomatic efforts made by SADC, EAC and Angolaand reaffirm the essential role of the Luanda and Nairobi processes.

We call for the urgent establishment of a ceasefire prior to sincere talks between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda for its support for the M23.

In this regard, we encourage the two countries to resume dialogue in order to achieve a lasting and peaceful settlement of a conflictwhich has only brought excessive grief to the Congolese population and which carries serious risks of destabilising the entire Great Lakes region.

We also encourage the resolution of deeper issues such as the exploitation and illegal export of natural resources, particularly to neighboring countries, through traceability instruments at the regional level.

We reiterate our support for the Congolese population, the first victim of this conflict.

Done in Kinshasa, this 20 March 2025