Ministers Call For Reopening Of Goma Airport

The call for reopening of the Goma Airport in DRC to allow humanitarian assistance to those affected by the recent fighting has continued to be made, piling up pressure on M23 rebels.
The airport, situated in Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province, is said to have been captured last week by the rebels at the height of the fights with the support of Rwandan troops.
In a statement issued after a joint ministerial meeting of the East African Community (EAC) and Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) in Tanzania, calls were made to have the facility and other main supply routes reopened.
The meeting, co-chaired by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and his Zimbabwe counterpart Amon Murwira, noted that the delivery of food, water, and medical aid for up to two million people has been greatly disrupted as a result.
Several hundred people have reportedly been killed in the hostilities, with tens of thousands more forced to flee their homes.As part of the immediate plans, the meeting called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and an unconditional ceasefire.
It was agreed that a securitisation plan for Goma and surrounding areas would be developed with immediate repatriation of those killed being ordered. The leaders also called for the resumption of the Nairobi process and enhancement of structural coordination with the Lunda process that seeks to address the conflict in the country