During a visit to the Great Lakes region, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi held a high-level meeting in Goma today with the leadership of the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) to address the safe and sustainable return of Congolese and Rwandan refugees. Grandi was accompanied by a large UNHCR delegation intent on forging practical pathways for dignified repatriation.
The discussions convened AFC/M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa and his deputy for political, administrative, diplomatic, and legal affairs, Bertrand Bisimwa. Also present were the movement’s permanent secretaries, its spokesperson, negotiators from the Doha process, the director of the National Commission for Refugees (CNR), and senior officers of the Congolese Revolutionary Army.
Talks focused on developing concrete frameworks and operational modalities to ensure that families uprooted by conflict can return home in safety and dignity. Both sides underscored the necessity of secure conditions on the ground—ranging from restored basic services to protection guarantees—to enable communities to resettle without fear. AFC/M23 reaffirmed its readiness to collaborate closely with UNHCR in facilitating transport, registration, and onward reintegration measures for returning refugees and internally displaced persons.
Today’s Goma meeting follows Mr. Grandi’s earlier engagements this week with President Félix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, highlighting the international community’s intensified focus on the humanitarian dimensions of the region’s long-running crisis.
