Drone strikes struck the eastern Congolese city of Goma early Wednesday, killing at least three people including a French humanitarian worker, according to the AFC/M23 rebel group and the United Nations. The attack marks the first drone strike reported in the city since the rebels seized control last year.
The AFC/M23 accused the Congolese army of carrying out the strikes, claiming in a statement on social media that government forces launched drones into a densely populated area of the lakeside city. Rebel officials said the victims included a foreign aid worker along with two other civilians.
A senior official from the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF confirmed that one of its employees, a French national, was killed in the strike. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo also verified the incident, stating that the attack killed a U.N. staff member and two civilians. The mission warned that deliberate attacks on U.N. personnel could constitute war crimes under international law.
French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib strongly condemned the attack. In statements posted on social media, they called for full respect for international humanitarian law and emphasized that humanitarian workers must never be targeted during armed conflicts.
A spokesperson for the Congolese army declined to comment on the allegations. However, the Congolese government later acknowledged that the incident had taken place and expressed condolences to the victim’s family, adding that an investigation was underway.
The incident has also drawn concern from neighboring Rwanda. Deputy government spokesperson Jean Maurice Uwera said the strike highlighted ongoing security risks near Rwanda’s border despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed in Washington last year.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s Defence Force and several senior military officials over alleged support for the AFC/M23 rebels operating in eastern Congo. Rwanda has strongly denied those accusations.
A Reuters journalist in Goma reported hearing two powerful explosions around 4:00 a.m. local time, which shook windows and doors across the city. The blasts were soon followed by the sound of ambulance sirens.
According to a senior AFC/M23 official, one of the drones struck a house rented by UNICEF staff members. The building is located near a residence previously used by former Congolese President Joseph Kabila in a neighborhood home to several prominent political and business figures.
The same official said a second drone appeared to target the residence of AFC/M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa, but instead crashed into Lake Kivu.
The drone strikes come after weeks of escalating drone activity by both sides in the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo, raising fears of further violence in the already unstable region.