KINSHASA, Oct. 31 — A major conference on peace and stability in Africa’s Great Lakes region drew to a close in Paris on Thursday, with a particular focus on the protracted crisis in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
Despite high hopes, the gathering soon found itself beleaguered by the deep-rooted causes of a decades-old conflict. Mediation efforts have multiplied, yet progress remains paralyzed, with gunfire roaring and distrust sprawling among key stakeholders.
ATTENDANCE LETDOWN Initially envisioned as a high-profile summit, the high-profile summit was expected to draw top political and institutional figures, including several African heads of state directly involved in the DRC crisis.
“Throughout the Great Lakes region, conflict is once again spreading, infiltrating communities on both sides of the Congolese, Rwandan, Burundian and Ugandan borders,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in his opening speech Thursday.
However, only two African leaders were present, namely DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Faure Gnassingbe, president of Togo’s Council of Ministers and also the African Union-appointed mediator for the regional crisis.
Most other nations were represented by their foreign ministers or special envoys, including Rwanda, another central actor, represented by its Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe.
For decades, eastern DRC has been the epicenter of recurring violence fueled by a web of local and cross-border conflicts. Kinshasa accuses Rwanda of backing the March 23 Movement (M23), a rebel group that controls large swaths of territory in eastern DRC, a charge Kigali denies.
Rwanda, in turn, accuses the DRC of collaborating with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, a group implicated in the 1994 genocide. Since January this year, the M23, now part of a broader politico-military coalition known as the Congo River Alliance (AFC), has captured several strategic towns, including Goma and Bukavu.
In these areas, the rebels have installed parallel administrations, further undermining state authority and worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
“This is not only a Congolese crisis, it is a regional one,” Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey said in Paris. “It represents a collective failure of the international community to guarantee peace and human dignity, where they should be fundamental rights.”
BOLD WORDS IN DOUBT During the conference, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the mobilization of 1.5 billion euros (1.74 billion U.S. dollars) in international assistance to address the humanitarian emergency.
He pledged to deliver food and medicine, reopen Goma airport to humanitarian flights, and establish secure aid corridors. But the bold declaration soon prompted a wave of skepticism.
In North Kivu province, Goma airport remains under the control of M23 rebels, who have made the city of more than one million residents one of their main strongholds in eastern DRC.
“Goma airport is in the hands of the M23 authorities … You cannot reopen an airport from Paris,” said Rwanda’s Nduhungirehe at the conference.
Hours later, the M23 itself responded, calling Macron’s announcement “inopportune, disconnected from realities on the ground, and made without prior consultation.”
Facing criticism, Barrot clarified that the initiative was part of an ongoing diplomatic process. “This international conference has provided an opportunity to accelerate discussions on this issue (the reopening of Goma airport), which will continue under Qatari mediation, with renewed momentum that begins here, from Paris,” the French foreign minister told journalists.
The matter, according to Barrot, will be discussed within the framework of the ongoing Doha process, the active communication channel between Kinshasa and the rebels under Qatari mediation.
DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said the reopening of Goma airport would occur “only with authorization from DRC authorities and exclusively for daytime humanitarian flights.”
During a visit by Xinhua correspondents to Goma airport in September, signs of neglect were evident. Weeds had overrun the parking area, a stark contrast to the bustle that once defined this hub of domestic and international air traffic.
Despite limited cleanup work by the United Nations earlier this year, fragments of military equipment still littered the tarmac.
DISTRUST STIRS TROUBLED WATER Beyond aid pledges and promises of secure corridors, the peace conference sought to reinforce ongoing mediation efforts.
However, mutual trust between rival parties remains fragile. Barrot said that “humanitarian response alone is not enough.” Yet both on the battlefield and in diplomatic circles, distrust continues to deepen.
“The Doha talks mark the beginning of the M23’s political end,” DRC government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said in a media interview on Wednesday.
His comment drew a sharp rebuke from Benjamin Mbonimpa, one of the M23’s chief negotiators with the DRC government in Doha:
“Even the Qataris, known for managing difficult mediations, are astonished by the behavior of the Congolese delegation. It is simply surreal.”
Fresh fighting erupted Thursday in North Kivu’s Masisi territory, where M23 rebels reportedly regained control of the strategic town of Ndete.
Security sources cited by local media said several people were killed, and the situation remains volatile. Control of Ndete could allow the rebels to push deeper into the province.
Diplomatic tensions escalated further as in Paris, Rwanda’s foreign minister accused Kinshasa of “daily ceasefire violations” through airstrikes and drone attacks on M23 positions.
In response, Tshisekedi insisted that the crisis stems from “M23’s military actions, backed logistically, financially and operationally” by Rwanda.
“Any lasting peace must begin with the end of the occupation of DRC territory,” said the DRC president. On the humanitarian front, the situation remains dire.
According to the United Nations, more than 2.4 million people have been displaced since January 2025, bringing the total number of internally displaced persons to nearly six million.
Around one million Congolese have fled to neighboring countries, while 27 million people now face food insecurity. (Xinhua)
