EU commissioner visits rebel-occupied city in DRC

Kinshasa, Feb 20 (Prensa Latina) The European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, visited Goma in the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which is under the occupation of the Congo River Alliance-March 23 Movement (AFC/M23)

February 20, 2026
10:01

In her stay in the city, which has been under rebel control for over a year, the diplomat spoke with representatives of humanitarian organizations and visited key locations related to services and aid for the local population, Actualite.CD reported.

Lahbib, who is in the DRC as part of her tour of the Great Lakes Region, learned firsthand about the humanitarian access situation during a meeting with staff from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other organizations working in this area.

She also visited Ndosho Hospital, supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), where she received information on the surgical response, and is expected to meet with representatives of the AFC/M23.

During her stay in the DRC, the Commissioner announced the European Union’s allocation of €81.2 million in emergency humanitarian aid for populations affected by the conflict.

The decision was communicated during a meeting on February 17 with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, where she also indicated that they would work on establishing a humanitarian corridor for the delivery of aid.

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