The UN Security Council is set to convene closed consultations on Tuesday, March 17, to address the deteriorating security situation in eastern DR Congo. ALSO READ: Kinshasa drone targeted UN, EU compounds killing UNICEF worker: Kanyuka Reports said the consultations were requested by France and will focus on the March 11 drone strikes in Goma, which killed a French national working with UNICEF and two other civilians. ALSO READ: Macron reacts as French citizen dies in Goma drone attack Council members are expected to condemn the strike and emphasise the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers, according to New York-based non-profit publication Security Council Report. ALSO READ: Kinshasa ‘is escalating conflict in South Kivu’ – rebels The attack on AFC/M23-controlled Goma has drawn heightened scrutiny mostly due to the growing use of armed drones in the conflict. The rebel movement said the Congolese government was responsible for the strikes. It added that the attack, one of multiple violations of a ceasefire agreed in October 2025, targeted former President Joseph Kabila and AFC/M23 political coordinator Corneille Nangaa. ALSO READ: Former US envoy to DR Congo appointed head of MONUSCO According to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), more than 60 drone strikes have been recorded in eastern DR Congo since January, largely attributed to the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), marking a sharp escalation compared to the last quarter of 2025. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Western group condemns violence against Rwandophones ACLED data show that less than five per cent of drone strikes in the conflict between 2025 and 2026 have been attributed to the AFC/M23 movement. “Drone strikes by the M23 appear to target launch sites used for FARDC aerial operations, particularly the Bangoka International Airport in Kisangani, the capital of the Tshopo province in north-central DRC,” the ACLED report says. ALSO READ: Eastern DR Congo experienced record number of drone attacks in February - report The Goma strike has also triggered international reactions, with different actors calling for an independent probe into the incident. Bertrand Bisimwa, the AFC/M23 deputy coordinator described the strike as targeted “assassination operation” rather than a conventional military operation. “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 following the strike. “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,” he added. “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.” ALSO READ: AFC/M23 vows to defend civilians against ‘Kinshasa’s terror’ The Goma incident also reflects a broader shift in the conflict, where drone warfare has increasingly been used to target strategic positions and civilian areas.
