DR Congo authorities begin investigations into drone strike

Authorities in the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday that they had begun investigations into the drone attack that targeted the residence of a UN staff member, killing a French aid worker.

Humanitarian sources reported that several buildings had been targeted in overnight drone strikes, which the UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO said also killed two civilians.

A government statement through the Ministry of Communication and Media stated that the authorities had taken note of the incident and that the exact circumstances of these incidents that occurred in occupied areas, as well as the origin of the reported explosions, are currently under investigation.

They further noted that they are monitoring the situation while also offering condolences to the aggrieved families

The strikes' origin remained unclear.

The Congolese army, stationed some several hundred kilometres from Goma, regularly launches long-range drone strikes on the M23's positions in the east.

According to security sources, the M23 also uses explosive drones at the front.

The sound of bomb blasts and buzzing drones rang out in several residential neighbourhoods of Goma, a large provincial capital near the border with Rwanda which the M23 seized in a lightning offensive in early 2025, witnesses said.

European Union crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on X that "a drone strike hit a residential building in Goma" where aid workers and EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid staff live.

French President Emmanuel Macron said on X that "a French UNICEF humanitarian worker has been killed in Goma. I extend the nation's support and sympathy to her family, loved ones and colleagues".

He urged "respect for humanitarian law and for the personnel who are on the ground and committed to saving lives".

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said the agency was "devastated and outraged by the killing of our colleague Karine Buisset in a reported drone attack".

"Civilians, including aid workers, must never be targeted," she said on X.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres voiced "outrage" at the strike.

"Karine was a dedicated humanitarian who worked tirelessly to support children and families impacted by conflict and crisis," his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a press briefing in New York.

"Humanitarian personnel must never be a target. This is international law," he added.

Additional sources • AFP