At least nine people were killed in a drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this week that killed M23 rebel military spokesperson Willy Ngoma, while narrowly missing the group’s top commander, four sources told Reuters on Tuesday.
The strike hit near Rubaya, a strategic mining town controlled by M23 that produces about 15% of the world’s coltan supply. Rubaya was recently included on a list of mining assets the Congolese government is offering to the United States under a minerals cooperation framework.
Ngoma’s death marks a significant escalation in the conflict, removing one of M23’s most prominent figures as fighting intensifies despite mediation efforts, including talks facilitated by Qatar aimed at securing a ceasefire.
Details of the strike were provided by an intelligence source, two rebel sources, a senior military official, and a United Nations source. All spoke on condition of anonymity.
M23 has not commented on the attack, and a spokesperson for Congo’s army did not respond to a request for comment.
Nine bodies were transported from the strike site to Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city, according to two of the sources. A senior military official said at least seven additional bodies could not be recovered because they were incinerated in the blast.
The sources said M23’s military commander, Sultani Makenga, had been in the area shortly before the strike but escaped unharmed.
A spokesperson for the Wazalendo, a loose alliance of self-defence militias fighting alongside Congolese forces, said Makenga fled to a nearby church following the attack.
Fighting between M23 rebels — whom United Nations experts say are backed by Rwanda — and Congolese forces supported by Wazalendo continued on Wednesday in Masisi territory, residents said.
In a series of posts on X since Tuesday, M23 political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused Congolese forces of launching what he described as a “total war across all front lines” in parts of North and South Kivu provinces.