Written by: Badr Ahmed

On Tuesday, June 23, 2026, the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Felix-Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, and his Burundian counterpart, Evariste Ndayishimiye, held bilateral talks in the African Union City, on the second day of the Burundian President’s official visit to Kinshasa.

African consensus on strengthening peace and integration in the Great Lakes region

The meeting was attended by a number of members of the African Union Task Force on Ebola Response, and a significant part of the discussion was devoted to developments in the health situation in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in light of the outbreak.

During the talks, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye expressed his support for the efforts of health response teams, calling on the international community not to close the borders with the Democratic Republic of Congo, in order to facilitate the entry of urgent humanitarian and medical aid, and to strengthen containment and prevention capabilities.

For his part, President Felix Tshisekedi announced his intention to make a field visit to Ituri province in the coming days, to see firsthand the developments of the epidemiological situation and to assess the response efforts on the ground.

The talks also touched on security, development and regional integration issues, with the two presidents agreeing on the need to give a new impetus to the distinguished partnership between the two countries, by reactivating the joint committee for bilateral cooperation, with the aim of evaluating and implementing projects of common interest.

Both sides stressed the importance of working to restore sustainable peace in the Great Lakes region, emphasizing the need for the withdrawal of foreign forces present on the territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the creation of a stable environment that would allow for the acceleration of regional integration projects and economic development.

In the broader African context, President Felix Tshisekedi congratulated his counterpart Evariste Ndayishimiye on his leadership of the African Union, affirming his country's commitment to continuing close coordination with Burundi on regional and international issues of common interest.

The Burundian president also announced his acceptance of his Congolese counterpart's invitation to participate in the high-level discussion to be hosted by the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 21, 2026, as part of its presidency of the United Nations Security Council, in a move reflecting Kinshasa's growing regional diplomatic role.

This bilateral summit reflects the two countries’ orientation towards strengthening cooperation in the face of health and security challenges, in addition to supporting paths of stability and integration in the Central African region.