Xi Jinping calls for “African leadership” in conflict resolution, a major issue for the DRC

During a meeting on October 13, 2026, with Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, the African Union’s lead mediator for the crisis in eastern DRC, Xi Jinping set out four principles for helping resolve conflicts in Africa. He called for African peoples to be at the center of peace processes, respect for states’ sovereignty and territorial integrity, an end to hostilities, and attention to the root causes of crises. His proposals come as fighting between the FARDC and AFC/M23 rebels, now known as the FRN, continues in eastern DRC.