There is no humanitarian crisis in Goma, the capital of eastern DR Congo’s North Kivu Province captured by the Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) rebellion in January, according to Peter Fahrenholtz, a former German ambassador to Rwanda, who has toured the rebel-controlled city and held talks with the deputy governor of the province and other officials regarding the ongoing crisis. ALSO READ: SADC ‘firmly refutes allegations’ it engaged in joint FARDC-FDLR military operations in Goma against M23 Fahrenholtz, who served as Germany’s ambassador to Rwanda from 2012 to 2016, on April 13 said his discussions with Deputy Governor Willy Manzi shed light on the situation in the region. On Tuesday, April 15, he, again, took to X to share his observations after driving through most parts of the city. The rebels reported – and condemned – an exchange of fire on the night of Friday, April 11, which they said resulted from “a series of joint military operations” carried out by Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces in coordination with the Congolese army (FARDC), the Rwandan genocidal militia known as FDLR, and Congolese ethnic militia grouped under what is called Wazalendo [Swahili for patriots] in and around Goma. FDLR, a UN-sanctioned group founded in 2000 by remnants of the masterminds of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, also poses an existential threat to Rwanda. ALSO READ: DR Congo crisis: North Kivu governor calms Goma residents after night gunfire Fahrenholtz said: “No humanitarian crisis in Goma. I drove through most parts of the city and could not see any signs of a humanitarian crisis. The streets are bustling with people and they seem very relaxed and feeling safe. The shops are full with foodstuff, imported goods etc. “The University reopened, electricity and water are supplied by the municipality 24 hours per day. There is even street lighting during the night. Almost no garbage to be seen in the streets. Police officers are doing their job, crime and corruption seem to be clearly less. Rule of law is beginning to be established.” No humanitarian crisis in Goma. I drove through most parts of the city and could not see any signs of a humanitarian crisis. The streets are bustling with people and they seem very relaxed and feeling safe. The shops are full with foodstuff, imported goods etc. The University... pic.twitter.com/xAbuGTj3kT — Peter Fahrenholtz, Ambassador rtd (@peterfahren) April 15, 2025 The AFC/M23 rebellion fights to, among others, uproot tribalism, corruption, and genocidal violence against Congolese Tutsi communities who are targeted by the DR Congo-backed FDLR. The rebels and the SADC mission, on March 28, signed an agreement on the withdrawal of the Southern African forces from DR Congo. ALSO READ: UN official warns of risk factors for genocide, crimes against humanity in DR Congo The SADC Secretariat has contested claims by the AFC/M23 rebellion that its forces in DR Congo conducted “a series of joint military operations” in coordination with the Congolese armed forces, FDLR, and Congolese ethnic militias in and around Goma, on April 11. The German diplomat, who also served in Bangladesh and Eritrea, has previously weighed in on the DR Congo crisis, questioning the European Union’s silence on the use of European mercenaries in the conflict. He also pointed to the failure of Congolese government to address underlying issues behind the AFC/M23 rebellion, and pointed to long-standing issues of divisionism and genocidal ideology that have led to the persecution and displacement of Tutsi communities in eastern DR Congo for decades. ALSO READ: Veteran German diplomat puts EU on spot over European mercenaries in DR Congo Fahrenholtz criticized comments made by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas in a March 10 post on X, in which she accused Rwanda of backing the rebels. “Are M23 not DR Congo citizens? Were there not European mercenaries fighting against them in DR Congo? Who will protect ethnic minorities in eastern DR Congo?” he posed. Last week, the rebels stressed that they are concerned by continued “systematic” human rights violations and breaches of an earlier set ceasefire agreement in territories they vacated in a goodwill effort to support peace processes. They vowed to neutralize any threat at its source in response to the ongoing attacks. The rebels seized Walikale, a town which sits about 130 kilometres northwest of Goma, on March 19, but later decided to withdraw from the town to enforce a unilateral ceasefire declared on February 22 to support peace initiatives aimed at fostering dialogue and addressing the root causes of the conflict in eastern DR Congo.
