A French humanitarian worker with the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF was killed early Wednesday after drone strikes hit the eastern Congolese city of Goma, according to officials and statements from M23 rebels who control the city.
The attack struck a residential building in central Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, a strategic city seized by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels from government control in January 2025.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed the death of the aid worker, identified by rebels as Karine Buisset, and urged respect for humanitarian protections.
“A French humanitarian from UNICEF has been killed in Goma,” Macron wrote on X.
He also called for respect for humanitarian law and protection for aid workers operating in conflict zones.
Residents reported loud explosions around 4 a.m., followed by ambulance sirens as emergency responders moved through the city.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the strike involved a “combat drone” that hit a residential house where the French UNICEF employee was staying.
Video verified by journalists showed structural damage to the building, including a section of the roof destroyed and smoke rising from one side.
Humanitarian sources and local residents told AFP that several locations in the city were hit and multiple people may have been killed.
An aid worker near the site said he heard a drone overhead before a powerful explosion that blew a hole through the roof of the residence.
Rebel officials blamed the Congolese government for launching the attack and said the strike endangered civilians in a densely populated urban area.
They also reported that a second drone targeted the residence of M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa but fell into nearby Lake Kivu.
The strike comes amid intensifying drone warfare in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where fighting has escalated despite diplomatic mediation efforts.
The Congolese army said a day earlier that it shot down two drones belonging to Rwandan forces and their allies after they entered Congolese airspace in neighboring South Kivu province.
Officials described the incident as a violation of a previous peace agreement and said the military remained ready to defend the country’s sovereignty.
M23 rebels have captured large parts of the mineral-rich east since resuming armed operations in 2021.
The conflict has drawn regional and international scrutiny, with the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations and the United States accusing Rwanda of supporting the rebel group, an allegation Kigali denies.
Drone operations have increased in recent weeks, including attacks near the mining town of Rubaya and reported strikes linked to the airport serving Kisangani.
The Congolese government had not commented on the drone strike in Goma at the time of reporting.