Discussions Initiated for the Reopening of Goma Airport

Brussels, February 24^th, 2026 (CPA) – Discussions for the reopening of Goma Airport, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), for humanitarian transport, began last Sunday, as indicated on Monday by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, according to Belga. Ms. Hadja Lahbib, who reported on the humanitarian mission she led last week in the Great Lakes region, met successively with Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame before visiting Goma, which is occupied by M23 rebels supported by Rwanda. “Everyone agreed on the necessity of respecting international humanitarian law and committed to working on the accessibility of humanitarian aid,” affirmed Ms. Lahbib. The objective of Ms. Hadja Lahbib’s humanitarian mission was to pressure the parties to the conflict for unhindered humanitarian access, while the M23 controls the airport on the ground, while the airspace is under state control. The challenge, the European Commissioner emphasized, is now to translate this commitment into concrete action on the ground. “Yesterday (Sunday), they began discussing the reopening of Goma Airport for humanitarian transport. I believe we are on the right track. The EU continues to engage as we have become the primary humanitarian actor, with €81.2 million allocated this year for the region. This aid requires unhindered humanitarian access to be delivered,” stressed the European Commissioner.