NAIROBI, Kenya- The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel group, Lieutenant‑Colonel Willy Ngoma, has been killed in a drone strike carried out by the Congolese army in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), officials and multiple sources said on Tuesday.
The strike occurred in the early hours near Rubaya, a key mining town in North Kivu province, known for its coltan deposits that supply a significant portion of the global market.
The attack follows several days of intensified drone operations by government forces in the strategically important area.
Ngoma, one of the most recognizable figures of the Rwanda‑backed M23 movement and its chief communicator, was killed as tensions persisted despite ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire mediated by Qatar, with involvement from the United States and the African Union.
The rebel group, which United Nations officials and Western observers say receives backing from Rwanda, controls large areas of North and South Kivu after a renewed offensive that saw them capture key cities including Goma and Bukavu.
The killing of Ngoma marks a significant development in the long‑running conflict in eastern Congo, where military clashes and humanitarian displacement have continued amid stalled peace negotiations.
At the time of reporting, neither the Congolese government nor M23 had issued an official public statement confirming the details of Ngoma’s death.
