"Leaders and representatives of the African Union convened in Lome on Saturday to underscore the urgency to resolve peace in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), as conflict between the government forces and M23 militants continues. "The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in the Great Lakes region compels coherent action [...] this space must now produce lasting compromises—compromises capable of withstanding time, shocks, and the fragilities of the regional and international context," announced President of the Council of Togo, Faure Gnassingbe. "We therefore need to achieve here a qualitative leap in terms of coherence," he continued, underlining the AU's role in cementing trust and avoiding regional tensions. Foreign ministers stressed the need to preserve peace within the union while upholding existing agreements regarding the conflict in DRC. "For us, Rwanda, the African Union holds the institutional memory of this crisis, which has lasted for over 30 years, and we believe that the African Union has a role to play," noted Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe. "It is not about multiplying agreements, since Washington and Doha must remain. They cannot be called into question, but in the concrete implementation of these agreements, this is where the African Union plays a greater and more important role," the top diplomat added. Fighting has continued in the eastern region of the DRC, despite a ceasefire brokered by the United States and an economic deal between the two countries. The DRC accuses Rwanda of backing the M23, a rebel group, but Kigali has repeatedly denied this."