25/02/2026
W***y Ngoma, spokesperson for the M23 armed group, was reportedly killed in a drone strike near Rubaya in Masisi Territory, eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A diplomat and a senior M23 official told Reuters that Ngoma’s convoy, along with other M23 officers, was attacked around 10pm last night following several days of aerial activity.
His death comes amid ongoing ceasefire talks in Qatar, where the Congolese government and M23 signed an agreement to establish a monitoring panel that includes the United States, the African Union, and Qatar.
M23, which the UN alleges is backed by Rwanda, controls large parts of North and South Kivu, including the cities of Goma and Bukavu.
Rubaya is a strategic area that produces over 15% of the world’s coltan, a critical mineral for electronics. Neither President Félix Tshisekedi’s office, the Congolese army, nor M23 have formally confirmed the strike or Ngoma’s death.
Reported by Ephraim Mkali Banda
(February,24,2026)
