The Acting Deputy Head of the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUSCO, Vivian van de Perre, confirmed that Goma International Airport has reopened after more than a year without flights, following its takeover by AFC/M23 forces in January 2025.

“On January 26, 2025, I was on the last plane that landed at Goma airport (it had come to evacuate UN staff). Now I find myself on the first plane to land here again, and I believe this is a sign that the airport will gradually reopen for the benefit of the population,”Van de Perre said.

However, some people on the other side continue to question the purpose of the MONUSCO chief’s visit, especially as she had just returned from Kinshasa and no extensive prior talks had taken place between MONUSCO and the AFC/M23 movement, which currently controls the city of Goma.

Van de Perre stated that her visit was intended to assess the mandate and efforts of the United Nations in implementing the mandate of the regional Great Lakes monitoring mechanism responsible for overseeing the ceasefire, known as the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM).

She explained that her mission was aimed at helping the EJVM implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2808, which calls on the warring parties to cease hostilities and establish a lasting ceasefire.

The visit follows a statement by the Government of Angola, led by mediator João Lourenço between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda, announcing that the opposing sides in Congo — the FARDC and AFC/M23 forces — are to stop fighting no later than February 18, 2026.According to journalists present at Goma airport, no senior AFC/M23 official came to receive her or hold discussions with her.