A French humanitarian worker employed by UNICEF was killed during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday in a drone strike in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has been controlled since January 2025 by the rebel group M23. The information was confirmed by several humanitarian sources and by emergency responders dispatched to the scene.
According to witnesses, several explosions as well as the sound of drones were heard during the night in the city in North Kivu, located near the Rwandan border. The strikes reportedly caused several casualties.
The European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said on the social network X that a drone had struck a residential building where humanitarian workers were staying, including staff from the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death in the morning of “a French UNICEF humanitarian worker,” expressing his support to the victim’s family and calling for respect for humanitarian law and the protection of personnel working in the field.
The strike hit a residence located in the residential neighborhood of Himbi, on the shores of Lake Kivu, where many expatriates and employees of international organizations live. After the capture of Goma, several large properties in the area had been requisitioned by officials from the M23.
According to security sources, the attack likely targeted leaders or associates of the rebel movement, and the house where the French humanitarian worker was staying may have been hit by mistake. A humanitarian worker nearby reported hearing two successive explosions, preceded and followed by the sound of drones.
On Wednesday morning, firefighters, UN mission personnel, and M23 officials were present at the site. The house, heavily damaged and partially burned, showed numerous impacts on the walls and furniture. No drone debris had yet been identified.
The M23 spokesperson accused the Congolese authorities of carrying out the strike. Kinshasa has not yet responded officially. Government forces, positioned several hundred kilometers from Goma, regularly conduct long-range drone strikes against rebel positions.
Supported by Rwanda, according to several international sources, the M23 has controlled large territories in eastern DRC since late 2021, a region rich in mineral resources and plagued by armed conflict for three decades. Despite several mediation attempts and a fragile peace agreement signed in December, fighting continues.