French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a €1.5 billion humanitarian aid package for Africa’s Great Lakes region and pledged to help reopen Goma’s airport in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to boost relief operations. The pledges were unveiled during a high-level conference in Paris on stabilizing the volatile region, which includes the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda— an area long plagued by conflict, displacement, and cross-border tensions. But Macron’s initiative immediately faced pushback. The M23 rebel group, which currently controls Goma airport and much of North Kivu province, dismissed the plan as “disconnected from realities on the ground.” A spokesperson for M23 told local media that “no decision about Goma can be made without engaging the real authorities in control.”
Rwanda’s foreign minister, Vincent Biruta, who represented Kigali at the meeting, voiced similar doubts. “Goma airport is in the hands of the M23 authorities,” he said. “You cannot reopen an airport from Paris.” The United Nations and African Union welcomed France’s financial commitment but warned that aid alone cannot solve the crisis. Fighting reportedly flared again this week in Masisi territory, about 60 kilometers west of Goma, between M23 forces and pro-government militias, underscoring the fragile situation. Analysts say Macron’s aid package could provide crucial support for the over 7 million displaced people in eastern Congo, but success will depend on coordinated diplomacy and regional cooperation. “Without a clear political roadmap and genuine engagement with actors on the ground, this risks being another well-intentioned headline rather than a game-changer,” said Phil Clark, an Africa specialist at SOAS University of London. The Paris conference, attended by representatives from France, Rwanda, the DRC, the UN, and the EU, aimed to reignite peace efforts and reaffirm international commitment to stability in one of Africa’s most complex and enduring conflicts.
