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MONUSCO resumes operations at Goma International Airport after more than a year of closure.
MONUSCO Returns to Goma: A Strategic Blow to Rwanda’s M23 Occupation
MONUSCO begins reopening Goma Airport under UN Resolution 2808, signaling renewed international pressure on M23 and a boost for DRC sovereignty
Published:
February 12, 2026 at 6:37:29 PM
Modified:
February 12, 2026 at 6:37:29 PM
In a development that signals a potential turning point in eastern Congo's struggle against Rwandan-backed aggression, the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUSCO) has officially begun the gradual reopening of Goma International Airport, closed for over a year due to ongoing conflict fueled by M23 rebels in coordination with the Rwandan army (RDF)
The move marks a diplomatic and operational victory for Kinshasa, and a serious blow to Kigali’s ambitions in North Kivu.
“I hope this is the beginning of the gradual reopening of this Goma airport for the benefit of the population,” said Vivian van de Perre, Acting Head of MONUSCO, as she landed in Goma for the first time since the airport’s closure in January 2025.
A Symbolic Shift: The Fall of Occupation Narrative
For months, M23 rebels, backed militarily and logistically by Rwanda, as confirmed by numerous UN reports, have used Goma’s closure as leverage to consolidate control and create an atmosphere of fear and isolation. The resumption of MONUSCO’s activities at the airport under UN Resolution 2808 now punctures that narrative.
With MONUSCO leading verification missions and air surveillance operations, Kigali’s margin for covert maneuvers is shrinking fast.
Strategic Reclaiming of Sovereignty
The reopening is more than logistical. It is a reclamation of Congolese territory, visibility, and legitimacy. MONUSCO's renewed presence is part of the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism Plus (E-JVM+), designed to implement a ceasefire roadmap. Its arrival signals that the international community is no longer tolerating Rwanda’s illegal occupation of Congolese land through proxy forces.
Critically, MONUSCO’s return provides infrastructure and institutional backing for the DRC to reassert control over Goma, restart humanitarian flows, and begin restoring trust among the war-weary civilian population.
What Comes Next for Rwanda’s M23?
The implications for Kigali and its M23 allies are dire. The symbolic and strategic utility of Goma’s airport has vanished. As MONUSCO conducts aerial reconnaissance toward Uvira and other contested areas, the days of Rwandan-backed rebel impunity may be numbered.
Moreover, the fact that this process is unfolding under the supervision of UN peacekeepers with international visibility puts Kagame’s regime under mounting pressure to retreat or face escalating consequences legal, diplomatic, and reputational.
A Turning Tide
What we are witnessing is the slow dismantling of an illegal occupation masked as ethnic protection. With the airport reopening, Congo regains altitude in its fight for sovereignty, while Rwanda finds itself grounded.
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