Drones hit east Congo’s biggest city, killing French aid worker, rebels and UN say

Drone strikes hit Goma in east Congo on Wednesday, killing at least three people including a French aid worker, the first such attack in the city since AFC/M23 rebels seized it last year, according to the group and the UN.

The AFC/M23 blamed the attack on the Congolese army, saying in a post on X that Kinshasa had launched drones against a densely populated urban area in the lakeside city.

A spokesperson for the rebels said in a separate post that three people had died, including a foreign humanitarian worker. 

A senior official for UN children’s agency UNICEF told Reuters that one of its employees, a French national, was killed.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, condemned the attack in posts on X, calling for respect for international humanitarian law and saying aid workers must never be targeted.

A spokesperson for Congo’s army declined