A non-military approach to bringing peace in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recently been gaining momentum at the regional level and within the United Nations. In May 2021, experts from the countries of the African Great Lakes region (GLR), namely Burundi, DRC, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, launched the Contact and Coordination Group (CCG) for non-military measures to end conflict in eastern DRC1. The establishment of the CCG was in response to the need for a non-military approach to complement the military action against illegal armed groups in eastern DRC. The CCG’s non-military measures include the ongoing implementation of disarmament, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR) programmes for excombatants. At an October 2021 meeting on the situation in the GLR, the UN Security Council developed five courses of action2 to renew the Council’s commitment to supporting peace in the Great Lakes region, among which was the continued support for the non-military approach identified by the CCG.
