Over the weekend, the head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, made a rare visit to Goma in eastern Congo. While there, she held talks with leaders of the M23-AFC movement, including Corneille Nanga, the chairman of AFC, and his deputy Bertrand Bisimwa.
The agenda focused on ensuring humanitarian aid reaches vulnerable populations, improving security for civilians, and enabling basic services and business operations in the region.
This meeting marks a dramatic shift. For months, Keita has been one of the leading voices within the United Nations accusing M23 of destabilizing eastern Congo. She has repeatedly spoken out against the group at international forums, often echoing the Congolese government’s campaign of misinformation against the movement.
But now, sitting face to face with the very group she condemned, Keita appears to be acknowledging a more complex reality. Life in Goma and other areas under M23 control is stable. It’s a far cry from the chaos, disorder, and violence under Kinshasa rule. Aid agencies have access. Roads are open. Schools and hospitals are functioning.
The big question is, what does Bintou Keita do next? Having seen the ground truth, she must abandon the pro-Kinshasa propaganda that blames all problems on M23 while ignoring the role of the Congolese government, which is the very source of problems.
She should speak out against the ethnic hate campaigns coming from Kinshasa, which continue to stigmatize entire communities in the name of national unity.
She must also call for the reopening of financial services in M23 areas. For six months, the government has blocked banks, mobile money and other vital services to punish civilians living in rebel-controlled zones.
As she prepares to return to New York, Keita now carries a responsibility. Not just to brief the Security Council, but to tell the full story. She has seen for herself that dialogue is possible. That the so-called rebels are organized, open to talks, and running territory more peacefully than Kinshasa wants the world to believe.
It is time to stop speaking only for the regime in power. If she truly wants peace, Bintou Keita must now advocate for dialogue and not from behind closed doors.