The M23 Alliance rejected French President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to reopen Goma International Airport for daytime humanitarian flights, saying any access should be handled in the Doha peace talks. The airport has been shut since late January 2025 after the group seized it, and M23 also holds Bukavu airport and the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Macron outlined the proposal at a Great Lakes Conference in Paris and said it would respect Congolese sovereignty and set up aid corridors. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka called the idea ill-timed and out of touch, accused Kinshasa of breaking ceasefire pledges, and said the state has relied on force that worsened civilian suffering. He cited drone strikes on populated areas and the destruction of humanitarian aircraft in Walikale and Minembwe. He argued that most displaced residents have returned and said there is no current emergency in areas under rebel control. He warned France against trusting aid groups that he claims fuel the crisis and support the FDLR.
Kinshasa and Paris had not responded. The insurgency, revived in 2022 under Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, continues amid DRC claims of Rwandan backing that Kigali and M23 deny.
Macron outlined the proposal at a Great Lakes Conference in Paris and said it would respect Congolese sovereignty and set up aid corridors. M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka called the idea ill-timed and out of touch, accused Kinshasa of breaking ceasefire pledges, and said the state has relied on force that worsened civilian suffering. He cited drone strikes on populated areas and the destruction of humanitarian aircraft in Walikale and Minembwe. He argued that most displaced residents have returned and said there is no current emergency in areas under rebel control. He warned France against trusting aid groups that he claims fuel the crisis and support the FDLR.
Kinshasa and Paris had not responded. The insurgency, revived in 2022 under Bertrand Bisimwa and Emmanuel Sultan Makenga, continues amid DRC claims of Rwandan backing that Kigali and M23 deny.
