Drone strikes hit Goma in east Congo on Wednesday, killing at least three people, including a French aid worker, the first ‌such attack in the city since the AFC/M23 rebels seized it last year, according to the group and the UN.

The AFC/M23 blamed the attack on the Congolese army, saying in a post on X that Kinshasa had launched drones against a densely populated urban area in the lakeside city.

A spokesperson for the rebels said in a separate post that three people had died, including a foreign humanitarian worker.

A senior official for UNICEF told Reuters that one of its employees, a French national, was killed.

The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo confirmed that the strikes killed a UN staff member and two other civilians and warned that attacks against UN personnel may amount to war crimes.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for equality, preparedness and crisis management, condemned the attack in posts on X, calling for respect for international humanitarian law and stating that aid workers must never be targeted.

A spokesperson for Congo’s army declined to comment.

In a statement late on Wednesday, Congo’s government acknowledged the attack occurred. It expressed condolences to the family of the aid worker ‌and said investigations were underway.

Rwanda’s deputy government spokesperson, Jean Maurice Uwera, said in a post on X that the attack underscored security concerns near Rwanda’s border despite a U.S.-mediated peace accord signed in Washington last year.

The U.S. this month imposed sanctions on the Rwanda Defence Force and top military officials over alleged support for the AFC/M23 rebels in eastern Congo. Rwanda denies the allegations.

A Reuters journalist in Goma reported hearing two loud explosions at around 4:00 a.m. (0200 GMT). The blasts shook windows and doors and were followed by the sound of ambulance sirens.

A senior AFC/M23 official told Reuters the house struck by one of the drones had been rented by UNICEF employees and is close to a residence used by former Congolese President Joseph Kabila in a neighbourhood that houses several prominent political and business figures.

The official said a second drone had targeted the residence of the AFC/M23 political coordinator, Corneille Nangaa, but had fallen into Lake Kivu.

The strikes come after weeks of intensifying drone operations on both sides of the conflict.

(Reuters/NAN)