His remarks came after the French President called for the reopening of Goma airport to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need in eastern Congo.

President Tshisekedi’s government, through the Minister of Information and Communication and government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, responded that only the state has the authority to reopen the airport.

Last week, Muyaya wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account: “The reopening of Goma airport will be carried out solely under the authority of the Congolese state and will only apply to humanitarian flights operating during daytime. It is neither for the so-called parent, Rwanda, nor for its child, M23.”

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Nangaa, in a post on his X account, criticized Tshisekedi for suddenly remembering the plight of Congolese citizens in North and South Kivu after ten months, noting that when Goma and Bukavu were captured, he instead imposed sanctions such as closing banks actions that severely hurt civilians.

He further questioned Tshisekedi’s motives, saying it was inconsistent for him to now show compassion toward the same people he had recently attacked with drones and Sukhoi fighter jets.

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Nangaa directly challenged Tshisekedi, asserting that he lacks the power to reopen Goma airport without the involvement of AFC/M23, saying: “If you truly believe you are a real man, come and reopen Goma airport without the participation of AFC/M23.”

Meanwhile, peace talks aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Congo are ongoing  between M23 and the Congolese government in Doha, Qatar, and between Rwanda and Congo in the United States  though some observers remain skeptical about their prospects for success.