By Desmond Nleya
RUBAYA, DR CONGO — Lieutenant-Colonel Willy Ngoma, the military spokesperson of the M23 rebel group, was killed early Tuesday in a drone strike near the coltan-rich town of Rubaya in North Kivu province, multiple sources confirmed.
A senior M23 official, a regional diplomat and a Western government adviser told Reuters that the strike occurred around 3:00 a.m. local time. Congolese army drones reportedly targeted an area near Rubaya where several rebel officials were gathered. Additional casualties were reported, though details remain unclear.
Rubaya is a strategic mining hub that produces an estimated 15 percent of the world’s coltan, a mineral essential in the manufacturing of electronic devices. Control of the town has been a focal point in the conflict between the M23 and government forces.
Ngoma’s death comes amid renewed tensions despite ongoing ceasefire efforts. Hours before the strike, M23 political spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka accused the government in Kinshasa of breaching the ceasefire agreement.
In a post on X, Kanyuka alleged that government forces had “unleashed a total war across all front lines” and carried out “indiscriminate” bombings in Rubaya that “massacred innocent civilians.” The rebel group later issued a statement mourning Ngoma and condemning what it described as “grave acts” by the government.
There was no immediate official statement from the Congolese government regarding the strike.
Ngoma had been under European Union sanctions since December 2022 over his role within the M23. He was also designated by the United States in 2023 for alleged involvement in human rights abuses, including killings and sexual violence.
The M23 rebellion, which resurfaced in late 2021, has intensified instability in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, displacing hundreds of thousands of civilians and drawing regional and international concern.
