The United Nations is demanding “security guarantees” from all parties involved in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to secure access to Goma International Airport. The facility is critical for the UN peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, to conduct aerial reconnaissance and monitor a planned ceasefire following the escalation of fighting by the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group.
UN Deputy Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix stated that the mission cannot deploy helicopters for reconnaissance without assurances against risks such as signal jamming or the presence of drones. “We won’t send our helicopters flying with our personnel when there are risks of jamming, as has happened, risks of drones in the immediate vicinity of our helicopters, and so on,” Lacroix said. He emphasized that effective aerial surveillance would “probably need to be able to leave from Goma airport,” which has been closed since M23 seized the city in early 2024.
Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a vital humanitarian and logistical hub. Its capture marked a major escalation in a long-standing conflict between the Congolese army and numerous armed groups vying for control of the mineral-rich region. While Kinshasa and Kigali signed a U.S.-brokered peace accord in Washington in December, fighting persists. The agreement tasked MONUSCO with monitoring the ground situation to support a lasting ceasefire, but Lacroix confirmed the mission is “far from” achieving an effective ceasefire in the east.
The UN’s immediate deployment plan relies on the airport in Uvira, a city on the Burundi border. M23 briefly occupied Uvira in December before withdrawing under U.S. pressure. Lacroix noted that while M23 forces have pulled back from the city, they remain in the vicinity, and the Congolese military is redeploying its own personnel there. The phased UN deployment will first require aerial reconnaissance, followed by a limited ground presence in Uvira, and potentially a larger contingent depending on security conditions.
Nearly 8,000 UN peacekeepers are stationed in eastern DRC, including contingents from Kenya, Pakistan, Tanzania, and other nations. Aid agencies have joined the UN in calling for the reopening of Goma airport, citing urgent humanitarian needs. The airport’s status remains a key obstacle to both ceasefire verification and the delivery of assistance in a region where decades of conflict have displaced millions.
The UN’s request for security guarantees underscores the complex and volatile security landscape. The ability to use Goma’s airport would significantly enhance MONUSCO’s monitoring capacity, but this hinges on commitments from M23, the Congolese government, and other armed actors. The coming weeks will test whether recent diplomatic efforts can translate into tangible de-escalation on the ground.
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