Goma in early 2024 and Goma today are, by all accounts, worlds apart. The city is now described as markedly more secure, cleaner than ever before, with infrastructure projects underway across several areas, and free movement possible both day and night.
On Monday, January 26, 2025, the Coordinator of AFC/M23, Corneille Nangaa, sat down with IGIHE in Goma for an in-depth interview reflecting on developments over the past year. He outlined actions taken across various sectors and said the struggle would continue until the rights of Congolese citizens are fully respected.
{{IGIHE: How did you find the city of Goma when you arrived? One year on, with the fighting over, how do you assess what has been achieved so far?}}
{{Corneille Nangaa: }} The challenges were immense. We did not arrive in Goma under normal circumstances. The situation was extremely difficult. We found a population in distress, with criminal gangs having cut off water and electricity supplies. Banks were closed. The city was facing multiple crises.
Goma was exceptionally dirty at the time. Despite these constraints, we assumed responsibility and focused on urgent priorities. Water supply was restored within three days, and electricity within a week.
On sanitation, we introduced community work programmes. Today, I can confidently say Goma is the cleanest city in the DRC. At the same time, we were dealing with the crisis of more than a million internally displaced Congolese, whom the Kinshasa authorities had treated as political tools.
Once security was restored, many people returned to their homes and areas of origin. Security was our first priority. The Kinshasa government had distributed weapons to civilians under the Wazalendo banner, armed groups, criminals, and people with no training. We undertook a disarmament process.
{{IGIHE: Would you say there are no longer weapons in civilian hands in Goma?}}
{{Nangaa:}} The process is ongoing, but the results are encouraging. We also focused on building institutions, in four key areas. First, security: the army played a central role in disarming civilians, dismantling gangs, and restoring safety.
Today, Goma is quiet at night; gunfire has disappeared. Former gangs such as Quarante Voleurs no longer exist. People go about their daily work without fear.
We established a police force responsible for protecting citizens and their property and enforcing the law. Movement in Goma is unrestricted, and people commute freely to and from work.
{{IGIHE: Beyond security, what other priorities did you address?}}
{{Nangaa:}} Governance was a major focus. Two governors were appointed, along with mayors, burgomasters, sector leaders, neighbourhood heads, down to the village level. The administrative structure is now fully in place and functional.
Justice was the third pillar. This is an ongoing process, but justice is fundamental to national development. A commission was established to oversee judicial matters until permanent institutions are fully operational, including primary courts in Goma and Bukavu, prosecution services, and related bodies.
On the economic front, improved security enabled people to return to their land and resume economic activity. Agriculture continued. In areas such as Ngungu in Masisi, potato production has reached significant levels.
At Grande Barrière and Bunagana border points, large numbers of cattle cross daily as displaced people return to Masisi. In Nyiragongo and Rutshuru, agricultural output has increased.
AFC also initiated large-scale maize farming, with 400 hectares planted in a short period. Harvesting activities are expected soon.
Economic activity has largely resumed, although challenges remain, including what we describe as a “financial war” linked to the closure of banks and the loss of citizens’ savings.
The academic year, which was already underway when we arrived, was completed successfully. For the first time in five years, two provinces issued official academic results to students. A new school year has since begun peacefully.
Universities and higher learning institutions operated without disruption. Hospitals are functioning, and new hospital construction is underway in North Kivu. Much has been accomplished.
In terms of investment, road rehabilitation projects are ongoing. I recall a 75-year-old resident telling me he had never seen roads being built before. The Goma–Walikale road via Masisi is under rehabilitation, as is the Rutshuru–Goma road—visible signs of investment.
{{IGIHE: You have engaged in talks with the Kinshasa government for some time, but without concrete outcomes. Where does the problem lie?}}
{{Nangaa:}} AFC/M23 has consistently maintained that the solution must be political dialogue. Any initiative leading to talks is welcomed. Discussions began in Nairobi, then moved to Luanda. However, before those talks concluded, President Tshisekedi went to Luanda without informing Kenyan leaders.
Because peace is our priority, we participated in the Luanda talks, which reached a promising stage. Later, without informing Angolan authorities, developments shifted to Doha, Qatar. The Doha talks produced progress—not final results, but meaningful steps.
These included a joint declaration on shared principles, agreements on the release of AFC/M23 political detainees, and commitments to a ceasefire. Five documents were signed. Of eight agreed principles, two were formally endorsed. To date, President Tshisekedi has not implemented any of them. No detainees have been released, despite lists being provided.
The ceasefire has also not been respected. We believe this is because, for Tshisekedi, war has become a business—an avenue for misappropriating resources through inflated procurement, diversion of military funds, and related practices.
We continue to request the establishment of a monitoring mechanism and a demilitarised buffer zone. Unfortunately, the Kinshasa government has rejected these proposals. We remain convinced that lasting peace can only come through a negotiated settlement.
{{IGIHE: President Tshisekedi has recently called for new talks, possibly in Kinshasa or Luanda. Would you participate?}}
{{Nangaa:}} We must be clear about where solutions lie—Luanda, Lomé, or elsewhere. We have received invitations to new peace talks. We did not reject President João Lourenço’s invitation, but we raised a key concern: Tshisekedi turned his back on Luanda a year ago and went to Doha.
We seek clarity on how the Doha process will be treated if new talks proceed. Will Doha’s outcomes be reviewed, or will they be formally closed so that a new process can begin? That is the issue.
Dialogue, in our view, involves three stages. Talks are the final step toward national reconciliation, bringing together all Congolese stakeholders, including civil society and religious leaders. We commend the efforts of Catholic and Anglican leaders in this regard.
Before that final stage, however, there must be direct negotiations—stage two—between armed actors: AFC/M23 and the Kinshasa government. This is what has been happening in Doha. These talks must address the cessation of hostilities, the root causes of the conflict, and military reform.
AFC/M23, we believe, will form part of the future national army, while FARDC, as it currently stands, functions more like militias than a professional force.
{{IGIHE: Do you still have confidence in the talks? Are there conditions that must be met first?}}
{{Nangaa: }} Confidence-building measures are essential. How can we engage in national dialogue while people are being sentenced to death, arbitrarily detained, or abducted? Thousands are displaced. Former National Assembly Speaker Aubin Minaku and former presidential candidate Emmanuel Shadary were arrested and taken to undisclosed locations.
More than 40 generals and hundreds of senior officers are being detained daily. That does not reflect a professional army. These issues must be addressed for genuine dialogue to occur.
What we see instead is deliberate delay. Tshisekedi seeks to prolong the conflict, portray himself as a peacemaker to secure weapons, then launch new offensives. He will not succeed. AFC/M23 is a force that cannot be defeated.
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