AFC/M23, MONUSCO Hold Talks on Ceasefire Compliance
The leadership of the AFC/M23 coalition and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) discussed the maintenance of peace in the east of the country.
These discussions, which took place at the Serena Hotel, were attended by the new Head of MONUSCO, James Swan, who made his first visit to the city of Goma on April 24, 2026, and used the local airport, which has been closed for over a year.
On the AFC/M23 side, it was attended by its Chairman, Corneille Nangaa Yobeluo, Bertrand Bisimwa and Freddy Kaniki, his deputies, the Permanent Secretary of this alliance, Benjamin Mbonimpa, and members of the security forces. Upon arriving at the airport, Swan announced that Goma could play a key role in stopping the fighting between the DRC government forces and the AFC/M23 coalition, as a major city in the east of the country.
The UN head of peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, arrived in Goma in February 2026, indicating that MONUSCO planes and drones monitoring the ceasefire will be based in the city.
Swan explained to journalists that the UN Security Council has requested MONUSCO troops to support peacekeeping operations under the mandate of the revised joint international mechanism, EJVM+. On April 14, AFC/M23 and DRC government representatives who were in peace talks in Montreux, Switzerland, signed an agreement to launch the EJVM+, agreeing to include their representatives.
Swan welcomed this step, which indicates that for the EJVM+ mission to be successful, drone attacks and diversionary activities must cease, and MONUSCO troops must be able to move freely.
The MONUSCO head also requested that Goma airport and airspace be opened for use by those in the EJVM+ mission. In a press conference held on April 22, the Permanent Secretary of AFC/M23, Benjamin Mbonimpa, announced that the opening of Goma airport and its airspace is in the hands of the DRC government.
Mbonimpa pointed out that the DRC government was the one who closed the airspace, and that before its troops left the city of Goma in early 2025, they destroyed the airport's control tower and even planted bombs.
He said, "The airport was bombed, we should also think about preparing for it, that is a technical issue.
If the tower is not working, nothing will work. So why is AFC/M23 being asked to do things that are not within its power? The first ones who should ask for it to be opened are AFC/M23." Swan arrived in Goma after a recent trip to the DRC government-controlled areas of North Kivu and Ituri provinces, where he discussed with their leaders the partnership with MONUSCO in protecting civilian security.
