KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — A spokesman for the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo has been killed in a drone strike, a local U.N. official and a human rights group said Tuesday, further escalating tensions in the region’s conflict after peace talks stalled.
Willy Ngoma, a senior military officer deeply involved in the M23 movement’s operations in eastern Congo, was reportedly killed in a pre-dawn drone strike near the mining town of Rubaya in North Kivu province.
Local U.N. officials and a coordinator for a human rights group working in the area spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they feared for their lives.
Residents told The Associated Press that the drone strikes targeted an area that has become an enclave of the M23 movement in recent weeks.
In January last year, rebels made an unprecedented incursion into major cities such as Goma and Bukavu, further expanding their control over several towns in the hard-hit area and escalating a decades-long conflict.
It was unclear who carried out the drone attack. Clashes between rebels and Congolese troops, joined by the local Wazarendo militia, have continued in recent weeks despite efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump and Qatar to bring peace.
The M23 movement and Congolese authorities did not immediately respond to inquiries. Each side accuses the other of violating the terms of a ceasefire agreed with the help of foreign and regional partners.