Senior M23 Rebel Spokesman Killed in DR Congo Army Drone Strike
Willy Ngoma, the rebel group's military spokesman, was killed near the mining town of Rubaya in the restive eastern province of North Kivu at approximately 3 AM local time on Tuesday, an M23 official told media.
Among the most recognizable faces of the insurgency, Ngoma had been sanctioned by the EU, UN, and US for his involvement in the long-running armed conflict ravaging eastern DR Congo. The M23 has yet to formally acknowledge his death, while the Congolese government has also reportedly declined to comment on the strike.
The killing unfolds against a backdrop of escalating hostilities between Congolese forces and the rebel alliance, which has seized vast stretches of mineral-rich terrain across the east — including the Rubaya mining zone, a critical source of the country's coltan output.
Kinshasa has reportedly included Rubaya among a select group of strategic mineral assets being offered to Washington under a bilateral minerals cooperation framework. The arrangement drew sharp criticism in January from Corneille Nangaa, head of the rebel coalition Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC) — which operates alongside the M23 — who charged that the deal was struck in secrecy and violated Congolese law.
Since launching a sweeping offensive in January 2025, rebel forces have overrun several key urban centers, including Goma — the North Kivu provincial capital — and Bukavu in South Kivu. They also briefly held Uvira on the shores of Lake Tanganyika near the Burundian border before Congolese troops recaptured the city last month.
Ceasefire Efforts Crumble as Civilian Toll Mounts
Internationally brokered ceasefire agreements reached in Doha — mediated by Qatar, the US, and the African Union — have repeatedly collapsed, with both sides trading blame over truce violations. In recent days, fierce fighting around Rubaya and other frontline areas has displaced hundreds of families.
The violence has persisted despite a peace agreement signed between DR Congo and Rwanda in December, brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, which was intended to de-escalate tensions and halt the bloodshed. Kinshasa has long accused Kigali of covertly arming and supporting the M23 — allegations Rwanda continues to deny.
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