An attack drone that killed a UN worker in the eastern Congolese city of Goma on Wednesday, March 11, was intended to assassinate former President Joseph Kabila and AFC/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa, a rebel leader has claimed. Bertrand Bisimwa, the deputy coordinator of the AFC/M23, said the drone hit a home near the residences of the two political figures. ALSO READ: Kinshasa drone targeted UN, EU compounds killing UNICEF worker: Kanyuka “Given the proximity of the bombed locations to the residences of certain political figures, it is clear and obvious that the former President of the Republic, Senator Joseph Kabila and the Political Coordinator of the AFC/M23 Corneille Nangaa were the target,” Bisimwa said in a post on X on Wednesday afternoon. Kabila who stepped down as president in early 2019 fell out with his successor Felix Tshisekedi, who has accused him of being behind the movement led by Nangaa, a former head of the Congolese electoral commission (CENI). Kabila, who holds the position of Senator, was tried for treason and war crimes in absentia and was sentenced to life in prison by a military tribunal in September 2025. He has denied wrongdoing and said the judiciary was politicised. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Military court sentences Kabila to death Bisimwa accused the government in Kinshasa of deploying several drones over the city in what he described as an “assassination operation” and not attempt to retake the city that has been under the control of the rebels since early 2025. “The current situation is marked by drone attacks by government forces, which have taken the initiative to deploy several drones over the city of Goma,” Bisimwa said. “These drones are currently attacking the city, targeting specific individuals to assassinate. Therefore, this is an assassination operation, not an operation to take control of a territory,” he said. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 vows to defend civilians against ‘Kinshasa’s terror’ The attack killed three people, including a French citizen who worked for the UN children’s agency UNICEF. Bisimwa said the total number of victims had not yet been established because the attack was still ongoing. However, he condemned a violation of a ceasefire agreed between the Congolese government and the AFC/M23 under mediation by Qatar. “We condemn this assassination operation, which also falls within the framework of the continuous violations of the ceasefire, of which the Kinshasa regime has been guilty since the beginning of the process,” he said. Bisimwa also criticised the silence of international partners involved in the peace process, particularly the United States, saying they had not reacted to the alleged violations. “We also denounce the silence of the partners in the peace process, particularly the mediation and the American facilitation, who remain silent regarding these violations of the ceasefire,” he said. Goma, the capital of North Kivu province and the largest city in eastern DR Congo, had not experienced major attacks since late January when it fell into the hands of the rebel movement.
