Drone Strike in DR Congo City Kills 3, Including French Aid Worker

At least three people, including a French humanitarian worker, were killed early Wednesday in a drone strike on a residential neighborhood in Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The strike occurred around 4 a.m. local time when a drone hit a two-storey residential building occupied by aid workers and expatriates.

One of the victims was Karine Buisset, a French national working with UNICEF. The identities of the other two victims were not immediately disclosed.

In a statement, UNICEF described Buisset as a dedicated humanitarian committed to supporting children and families affected by conflict and humanitarian crises.

Reacting to the incident, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences to the victim’s family and colleagues, while calling for respect for humanitarian law and the protection of aid workers operating in conflict zones.

Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, has been under the control of the rebel group March 23 Movement since early last year amid ongoing fighting in eastern Congo.

A spokesperson for the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo, Lawrence Kanyuka, accused the Congolese government of carrying out the attack, describing it as an assault on a densely populated urban area that endangered civilians.

Eastern Congo has remained unstable for years, with more than 100 armed groups active in the region. The M23 rebels are among those reportedly backed by the Rwandan Defence Force in the ongoing conflict with the Congolese army.

Last week, the United States imposed sanctions on Rwanda’s military over its alleged support for M23 fighters in the conflict.