Drone strikes hit the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, killing at least three people, including a French humanitarian worker, according to rebels and the United Nations.
The attack marks the first such strike in the city since the AFC/M23 rebel group seized control of Goma last year.
The AFC/M23 blamed the attack on the Congolese army, alleging that government forces launched drones into a densely populated urban area of the lakeside city.
A spokesperson for the rebel group said three people died in the attack, including a foreign humanitarian worker.
A senior official of the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) also confirmed that one of its employees, a French national, was killed in the strike.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo confirmed that the attack killed a UN staff member and two other civilians. The mission warned that attacks against UN personnel could amount to war crimes.
French President Emmanuel Macron and the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, condemned the attack in separate posts on X, calling for respect for international humanitarian law and stressing that aid workers must never be targeted.
A spokesperson for the Congolese army declined to comment on the incident. However, the Congolese government later acknowledged that the attack had occurred and expressed condolences to the family of the aid worker. It said investigations were underway.
Rwanda’s deputy government spokesperson, Jean Maurice Uwera, said the attack highlighted continuing security concerns near Rwanda’s border, despite a U.S.-mediated peace accord signed in Washington last year.
Earlier this month, the United States imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force and several senior military officials over alleged support for the AFC/M23 rebels in eastern Congo, allegations Rwanda has repeatedly denied.
A Reuters journalist in Goma reported hearing two loud explosions at about 4 a.m., which shook windows and doors in the area before ambulance sirens were heard.
A senior AFC/M23 official said the building struck by one of the drones had been rented by UNICEF staff and was located close to a residence used by former Congolese President Joseph Kabila in a neighbourhood known for housing prominent political and business figures.
The official added that a second drone reportedly targeted the residence of AFC/M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa but fell into Lake Kivu.
The incident comes after weeks of intensifying drone operations by both sides in the ongoing conflict in eastern Congo.