Drone strikes hit Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, killing at least three people including a French humanitarian worker, in what rebels and the United Nations say is the first such attack on the city since AFC/M23 forces seized it last year.
The AFC/M23 rebel movement blamed the strike on the Congolese army, saying Kinshasa had launched drones into a densely populated neighborhood of the lakeside city.
In a statement posted on X, the group said three people were killed in the attack, including a foreign humanitarian worker.
A senior official from the United Nations children’s agency, UNICEF, confirmed to Reuters that one of its employees — a French national — was killed in the strike.
The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo also confirmed that a U.N. staff member and two other civilians died. The mission warned that attacks targeting U.N. personnel could constitute war crimes under international law.
French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack, calling for the protection of humanitarian workers and respect for international humanitarian law.
Hadja Lahbib also denounced the strike, saying aid workers must never be targeted during armed conflict.
A spokesperson for the Congolese army declined to comment on the allegations, while the government in Kinshasa did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Regional tensions surrounding the conflict also resurfaced following the incident.
Jean Maurice Uwera said the attack highlighted ongoing security concerns near Rwanda’s border, despite a U.S.-mediated peace agreement signed in Washington last year aimed at reducing hostilities in eastern Congo.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force and several senior officers over allegations that Kigali supports AFC/M23 rebels operating in eastern Congo — accusations Rwanda has repeatedly denied.
A Reuters journalist in Goma reported hearing two large explosions around 4 a.m. local time, with the blasts shaking nearby buildings before ambulance sirens filled the streets.
An AFC/M23 official said one of the drones struck a house rented by UNICEF employees in a district where several prominent political and business figures reside. The residence is located near a property used by former Congolese president Joseph Kabila.
The official added that a second drone appeared to target the home of AFC/M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa, but crashed into Lake Kivu.
The incident comes amid escalating drone warfare in eastern Congo, where both government forces and rebel groups have increasingly deployed unmanned aircraft as fighting intensifies across North Kivu province.