Three people, including a French aid worker for Unicef, have been killed in a drone attack in Goma, a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) controlled by the M23 rebel group, according to a spokesperson for the group.
The attack occurred at around 4am on Wednesday in the Himbi neighbourhood of Goma, which has been under M23 occupation since January 2025. Lawrence Kanyuka, spokesperson for the Congo River Alliance that includes M23, accused the DRC government of carrying out the strike, calling it an 'intolerable provocation' targeting a densely populated urban area.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death of the Unicef worker, identified as Karine Buisset, and urged respect for humanitarian law. Unicef expressed devastation and outrage, stating that 'courageous humanitarian workers must always be protected.'
The DRC government has not commented on the attack, and no group has claimed responsibility. The incident marks the first drone strike in Goma since M23 seized control of the city last year, according to monitoring group Acled, which recorded 31 drone and airstrikes in the DRC in the past month.
The M23 group, backed by Rwanda, is one of over 100 armed groups active in the mineral-rich eastern DRC. Fighting has continued despite a US-brokered peace agreement signed in December 2024.
