DRC : AU visits Goma and opens dialogue with AFC/M23 leaders

SOS Médias Burundi

Goma, October 6, 2026 — A delegation from the African Union (AU) Panel of Facilitators traveled to Goma, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on Monday, where it met with AFC/M23 officials as part of diplomatic efforts to find a solution to the ongoing security crisis in the region.

The delegation included former Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Botswanan President Mokgweetsi Masisi, and former Ethiopian President Sahle-Work Zewde. They were first received at the Serena Hotel by the Mayor of Goma, Désiré Ngabo Kisuba, before continuing their discussions with AFC/M23 leaders.

In Goma, the African facilitators met with Corneille Nangaa, political coordinator of the AFC/M23, as well as his deputies, Bertrand Bisimwa and Freddy Kaniki.

A first visit since the fall of Goma

This visit is the AU’s first mission of this scale to Goma since the AFC/M23 seized the city in January 2025.

Since its fall, Goma has become the main political, administrative, and military center of the AFC/M23 politico-military coalition. The movement has established structures there that run parallel to those of the Congolese state and exercises its authority over a significant portion of North and South Kivu.

The AFC/M23 advocates, in particular, the transformation of the Democratic Republic of Congo into a federal state, a reform it presents as one of its main political demands.

A crisis with regional dimensions

The capture of Goma in January 2025, followed by that of Bukavu in February of the same year, profoundly altered the balance of power in eastern DRC and exacerbated regional tensions.

The conflict pits the AFC/M23 against Congolese government forces and their allies, notably the Wazalendo militias supported by Kinshasa and the Burundian army. Other armed groups are also active in the region.

The crisis has particularly heightened tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali. Congolese authorities and several international actors accuse Rwanda of supporting the AFC/M23, an accusation Kigali denies. Rwanda, for its part, accuses Burundi and the DRC of supporting the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a Rwandan Hutu armed group, some of whose members are accused of participating in the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.

Several diplomatic initiatives

The AU mission comes as several diplomatic processes seek to end the hostilities.

African efforts complement those undertaken within the framework of the Washington and Doha processes, as well as initiatives aimed at bringing Kinshasa and Kigali closer together.

African facilitators are to engage with various stakeholders and explore opportunities for reconciliation between the parties.

The meeting with the AFC/M23 authorities is of particular importance, as the movement controls Goma and vast territories in eastern Congo.

No major agreement was announced following the initial discussions. However, the visit demonstrates the AU’s commitment to maintaining a channel of dialogue with various parties to the conflict and to contributing to the search for a political solution to the crisis.