M23 Rebukes Kinshasa’s Plan to Reopen Goma Airport, Calls Decision “Illusory”

M23 Rebukes Kinshasa’s Plan to Reopen Goma Airport, Calls Decision “Illusory”

The M23 rebel movement has dismissed a move by President Félix Tshisekedi’s government to prepare for the reopening of Goma International Airport, calling the decision “illusory” and lacking legitimacy.

In a statement released on November 16 by the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23), the group asserted that it alone holds authority over the airport, which has remained under its control since the fall of Goma in late January.

M23 forces captured the city on January 27 and took over the airport a day later, leading to its immediate closure and suspension of all flights. Aid agencies have since warned that the shutdown has severely disrupted humanitarian operations in North Kivu, cutting off air access to the region’s largest logistical hub.

The airport is considered a strategic asset serving as the main aerial gateway to eastern DR Congo and a critical route for humanitarian supplies, peacekeeping operations and troop movements. Control of the facility bolsters M23’s military leverage and reinforces what the group now refers to as “liberated territory.”

In its statement, signed by spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the rebel group accused the government of attempting to assert control over infrastructure it claims was “deliberately plundered and sabotaged” before government forces withdrew.

“The illusory decision by Mr Tshisekedi Tshilombo, approved by the Council of Ministers, to plan the reopening of Goma Airport from Kinshasa is entirely unacceptable,” Kanyuka said.

“The Kinshasa regime has neither the legitimacy nor the right to consider reopening airport infrastructure located in liberated territory.”

M23 insisted that any reopening of the airport would be conducted exclusively under its own administrative structures and warned that the government’s attempts to intervene were baseless.

The group also said it was closely monitoring military deployments along front lines, describing ongoing cooperation between Kinshasa and foreign forces as a threat to its positions. It further distanced itself from the ongoing diplomatic rift between DR Congo and Rwanda, saying the dispute “in no way concerns” M23.

Since January, M23 has tightened its control over vast stretches of eastern DR Congo—areas rich in coltan, gold, tin and other valuable minerals. The movement operates a parallel administration, complete with its own budget, taxation system and security apparatus.

The group is believed to generate substantial revenues from mineral taxes and related trade, funds it claims are used for local development. Independent reports indicate that M23 has undertaken infrastructure repairs, installed power transformers, rehabilitated roads and worked to restore certain public services. Critics, however, argue that these efforts deepen an illicit economy and undermine state authority.

The dispute over Goma Airport comes at a delicate moment in the fragile peace process. Earlier this year, M23 and the Congolese government signed a framework agreement in Qatar, with mediation by the United States, African Union and Qatari authorities. The accord addresses ceasefire mechanisms, return of displaced people, humanitarian access and protection of judicial institutions but implementation has faltered amid ongoing clashes.

For Kinshasa, reclaiming Goma Airport would signal restored state authority and reopen a vital humanitarian corridor. For M23, retaining control of the facility strengthens its negotiating power and affirms its expanding governance role in eastern DR Congo.