Air strikes in the eastern DR Congo city of Goma have killed several people, with drone attacks targeting residential areas controlled by the M23 militia.
GOMA: Air strikes overnight killed several people in the key eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma, sources told AFP. The city is controlled by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia.
Witnesses reported the sound of bomb blasts and buzzing drones in several residential neighbourhoods. Humanitarian sources confirmed several buildings were targeted and several people were killed by Wednesday morning.
An AFP reporter saw one severely gutted house with its roof destroyed. Shrapnel also hit neighbouring buildings, blowing out their windows.
An aid worker close to the hit house said he heard a drone, followed by a loud explosion that blew a “hole in the roof”. Firefighters, UN employees and M23 officials were present at the site on Wednesday morning.
The Congolese army regularly launches long-range drone strikes on M23 positions. Security sources say the M23 also uses explosive drones at the front.
Despite a US-brokered peace deal signed in early December, clashes have continued. The M23 seized Goma in a lightning offensive in 2025 and controls swathes of the mineral-rich east.
UN experts believe Rwanda uses the M23 to control the region’s critical minerals, like coltan. The US recently announced sanctions against the Rwandan army for its support.
Rwanda denies military backing but insists it faces a threat from armed groups in eastern DRC linked to the 1994 genocide.
