{"id":120576,"date":"2026-02-25T15:46:01","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T15:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:38:27","slug":"what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","title":{"rendered":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the Great Lakes region with a stop in Goma on February 20, her meeting with AFC\/M23 leaders quickly shaped the conversation around two subjects: the reopening of Goma International Airport and the humanitarian situation in areas under the movement\u2019s control.<\/p>\n

Since then, those themes have dominated discussions following the encounter. But beyond the exchanges, questions remain: what exactly is meant by the humanitarian situation in Goma, what stands in the way of reopening the airport that has closed for more than 12 months, and what comes next after the AFC\/M23-EU talks?<\/p>\n

Airport reopening tied to ceasefire mechanism<\/p>\n

In an interview with The New Times on Monday, February 24, AFC\/M23 spokesperson Oscar Balinda traced the airport debate back to a humanitarian conference convened in Paris late last year, which was attended by Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of last year, France organized a humanitarian fundraising conference in Paris and raised \u20ac1.5 billion,\u201d Balinda recalled. \u201cPart of that money was intended for DR Congo, including Goma. But they declared that for the money to be used, Goma airport had to be reopened for flights from Paris.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balinda then reflected on subsequent developments in Kinshasa, recalling that a cabinet meeting was convened to discuss the reopening of the airport and that Tshisekedi appointed officials to oversee the process. In his view, however, that sequence overlooked prior understandings reached in another framework.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe told them this was a mistaken approach,\u201d he said. \u201cThe airport question is linked to the ceasefire mechanism discussed in Doha.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balinda referred to earlier negotiations in Doha, where parties examined mechanisms for verifying the ceasefire, including the role of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM), troop movements involving AFC\/M23 and Congolese forces, and logistical support by the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO).<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of those discussions, we agreed to prepare a section of the runway for MONUSCO helicopters to land,\u201d he said. \u201cWe even went to the airport to receive the MONUSCO leader who arrived by helicopter. About 500 meters are operational for that purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

While the runway stretches roughly 3,000 meters, only a limited portion is currently usable. Balinda pointed to technical and security challenges that still require attention, including landmines and equipment he said was looted by government forces before their departure.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor civilian aviation, international authorization is required, and that involves cooperation between governments,\u201d he added. \u201cThat is why we insist that reopening Goma airport must be tied to the ceasefire mechanism agreed in Doha. Progress in negotiations will determine how soon the airport reopens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Speaking to the press after returning from Goma, Lahbib underlined what she described as the responsibilities of the \u201coccupying authority.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe occupying authority, which is AFC-M23, has responsibilities to allow humanitarian actors to do their job of helping people, saving lives, alleviating suffering,\u201d she said, calling for clear landing arrangements and guarantees that aid workers would not be mistaken for parties to the conflict.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are still technical tasks to be considered,\u201d Lahbib noted. \u201cWhat I have seen from our discussions is goodwill. However, technically and administratively there is some work to be put in place which is not there yet. That verbal commitment must be followed by concrete actions. There is also a problem of airspace that has to be opened by the Congolese government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her remarks suggested that beyond local arrangements, broader coordination with authorities in Kinshasa would be required, particularly regarding control of Congolese airspace.<\/p>\n

The real problem is access to funds<\/p>\n

Balinda, however, challenged the framing of the situation as primarily a humanitarian access issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cMore than 11 UN agencies, 100 international NGOs, and over 500 local NGOs are operating in our areas,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have access everywhere and are delivering aid freely.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to him, the deeper crisis stems from the closure of banks in Goma since the second day of the rebels\u2019 presence in the city, which they liberated on January 27 last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe told them that before Kinshasa\u2019s regime goes abroad begging for aid, they should first help the people of Goma by reopening the banks and allowing citizens to access their savings,\u201d Balinda said. \u201cHow can you block people\u2019s savings, impoverish them, and then claim to seek humanitarian aid?\u201d<\/p>\n

He argued that the core challenge is purchasing power, not supply shortages.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the markets, food and goods are available, even at low prices,\u201d he said. \u201cBut people cannot buy them because they have no money. Let the banks open, let people access their funds, and then we can know the real gap. Calling it a humanitarian crisis without addressing the root causes is misleading.\u201d<\/p>\n

Balinda maintained that reopening financial institutions would enable residents to pay for healthcare, school fees and daily needs without relying on external assistance.<\/p>\n

Awaiting the Doha process<\/p>\n

Despite differing emphases, both sides acknowledged elements of goodwill in their exchanges. For AFC\/M23, however, any lasting breakthrough must emerge from the Doha track.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the end, they realized that the solution to the Goma airport issue lies not in Kinshasa but in Goma itself, and they had to come,\u201d Balinda said of the EU engagement. \u201cWe welcomed them and told them clearly that the final resolution must be found in Doha.\u201d<\/p>\n

He confirmed that the movement is awaiting an invitation from mediators to return to Doha to finalize protocols and a memorandum of understanding on the ceasefire mechanism, paving the way for the EJVM to deploy fully on the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor us, dialogue in Doha is the only path forward,\u201d Balinda said. \u201cWar is not our choice. We act in self-defense, but our priority is talks.\u201d<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the Great Lakes region with a stop in Goma on February 20, her meeting with AFC\/M23 leaders quickly shaped the conversation around two subjects: the reopening of Goma International Airport and the humanitarian situation in areas […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":120575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[6999,8786,5615,360,8730,4597,758],"class_list":["post-120576","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-afc-m23","tag-doha-peace-process","tag-dr-congo-crisis","tag-eu","tag-goma-airport","tag-monusco","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nWhat next after AFC\/M23-EU talks? - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"673\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\"},\"wordCount\":963,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"AFC\/M23\",\"Doha peace process\",\"DR Congo crisis\",\"EU\",\"Goma airport\",\"Monusco\",\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\",\"name\":\"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks? - Rwanda\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"description\":\"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":673,\"caption\":\"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/\",\"name\":\"Rwanda\",\"description\":\"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\",\"name\":\"cfeditoren\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks? - Rwanda","description":"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?","og_description":"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...","og_url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","og_site_name":"Rwanda","article_published_time":"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":673,"url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cfeditoren","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cfeditoren","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks"},"author":{"name":"cfeditoren","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"headline":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?","datePublished":"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks"},"wordCount":963,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg","keywords":["AFC\/M23","Doha peace process","DR Congo crisis","EU","Goma airport","Monusco","Rwanda"],"articleSection":["all news","Policy"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks","name":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks? - Rwanda","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg","datePublished":"2026-02-25T15:46:01+00:00","dateModified":"2026-02-25T16:38:27+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb"},"description":"When Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, concluded her tour of the ...","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1772024838.178449.jpg","width":1000,"height":673,"caption":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/what-next-after-afc-m23-eu-talks#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What next after AFC\/M23-EU talks?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/","name":"Rwanda","description":"Just another Africa News Agency Sites site","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb","name":"cfeditoren"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=120576"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/120576\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120575"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=120576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=120576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=120576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}