The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO, James Swan, is set to visit Goma on Monday for consultations with key stakeholders in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), including representatives of the newly established Front de Résistance Nationale (FRN).

The visit comes amid the emergence of the FRN, which has announced that it is succeeding the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC), the political-military coalition associated with the M23 rebel movement.

According to MONUSCO, Swan intends to engage with FRN representatives, continuing the dialogue previously maintained by the UN mission with the AFC/M23.

The consultations are expected to focus on advancing the implementation of MONUSCO's mandate, particularly the protection of civilians, humanitarian access and support for ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanisms.

These efforts include the Monitoring, Verification and Compliance Mechanism (MCVE+) and the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM+), which are intended to support efforts to monitor and verify compliance with ceasefire arrangements.

MONUSCO said the engagements form part of its ongoing consultations in eastern DRC, where persistent insecurity and armed conflict continue to pose challenges to civilian protection and humanitarian operations.

The visit underscores the UN mission's continued engagement with relevant actors in the region as efforts to support ceasefire monitoring and strengthen the protection of civilians continue.

Swan's discussions with FRN representatives will provide an opportunity to address issues related to the mission's mandate and the role of dialogue in supporting peace efforts in eastern DRC.