A French UN aid worker was among three people killed in a drone attack in Goma, the M23 rebel group has said. The strike occurred in the early hours of Wednesday in the Himbi neighbourhood of the city, which has been under M23 control since January 2025.
The M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka accused the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s government of carrying out the attack, describing it as an "intolerable provocation" targeting a densely populated urban area. The government has not commented.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death of the Unicef aid worker, identified as Karine Buisset, and urged respect for humanitarian law. Unicef expressed devastation and outrage at the killing.
The attack marks an escalation in drone warfare in the region. Last month, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project recorded 31 drone and airstrikes in the DRC, the highest monthly figure. Two weeks ago, a drone strike in Rubaya killed M23’s military spokesman.
Goma, the capital of North Kivu, was seized by M23 in January 2025 in fighting that killed up to 2,000 people. The Rwanda-backed M23 is one of numerous armed groups operating in the mineral-rich eastern DRC.
