The delegation includes former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi and former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde.

Kenyatta, Masisi and Sahle-Work are part of the African Union mediation team seeking to help find a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, who chairs the panel, and former Central African Republic President Catherine Samba-Panza did not attend the talks.

The talks with AFC/M23 leaders are expected to focus on progress in the peace process and prospects for finding a political resolution to the conflict in eastern DR Congo.

The delegation is also expected to discuss the security situation in the region and measures taken so far to restore peace.

Manzi Willy, the vice governor of North Kivu Province appointed by AFC/M23, welcomed the delegation in a post on X.

“Welcome to the land of peace. Welcome to clean and secured Goma. Welcome to the land with vision and purpose,” he wrote.

The visit is part of efforts by the African Union facilitators to assess progress in the search for peace in eastern DR Congo.

Kenyatta is familiar with the conflict, having previously led the Nairobi talks aimed at bringing together the Congolese government and armed groups operating in eastern DR Congo.

The Nairobi process, however, failed to produce a lasting agreement amid disagreements between Kinshasa and the armed groups involved.