President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken over the chairmanship of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) following the bloc’s 9th Ordinary Summit held on November 15, 2025, at the Palais du Peuple in Kinshasa.
The summit, convened under the theme “Consolidating Peace and Security for Sustainable Development in the Great Lakes Region,” was attended by five heads of state from Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic, the DRC, and the Republic of Congo.
Uganda was represented by Minister of State for Defence in charge of Veteran Affairs Huda Oleru, who stood in for President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni.
This year’s meeting was the first in-person summit in five years, following the last virtual gathering in 2020.
It was marked by the appointment of Dr Mubita Luwabelwa of Zambia as the new Executive Secretary of the ICGLR, replacing Ambassador João Caholo of Angola.
During the opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General’s Representative Huang Xia urged regional leaders to push for the cessation of hostilities in eastern DR Congo and ensure humanitarian access in conflict-affected areas.
In his acceptance speech, President Tshisekedi said his leadership of the ICGLR would be “uncompromising on the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-aggression and the rejection of any support for armed groups,” while remaining open to inclusive dialogue involving women, youth, local authorities and communities.
Oleru, leading Uganda’s delegation, commended the outgoing ICGLR chair and secretariat for what she described as steadfast leadership, especially in facilitating dialogue at a time of heightened security pressures.
She highlighted the threat posed by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), noting that the group undermines not only Uganda but the region’s stability.
She expressed appreciation for the DRC’s cooperation under Operation Shujaa and wished President Tshisekedi success as the incoming chair.
Oleru called for stronger support to the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism to “decisively neutralize armed groups.”
“Uganda views regional security and stability as key, and hence the summit must recognize the expanding security challenges in Sudan and South Sudan, and ensure ICGLR is actively involved in exploring concrete ways on how these can be tackled,” she said.
The minister also urged member states to focus on socio-economic transformation, prioritizing regional integration, intra-regional trade, investment and infrastructure development.
She encouraged states to implement national and regional programmes aimed at job creation, youth and women’s empowerment and poverty reduction.
“Availability and abundancy of natural resources should be a blessing and not a curse, and resources should not be used to fund armed groups,” Oleru said.
A closed session later produced the “Kinshasa Declaration,” which outlines a unified framework for advancing peace and security in the Great Lakes region, aligning ongoing efforts with the Doha and Washington processes as well as the African Union initiative led by President Faure Gnassingbé of Togo.