M23 Rebel Group Spokesperson Killed in Congolese Drone Strike
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, the military spokesperson for the M23 rebel group, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an airstrike conducted by the Congolese army in the eastern part of the country. The strike took place around the town of Rubaya in North Kivu province at approximately 3 a.m. local time (1:00 GMT).
Rubaya is recognized as a pivotal hub for coltan extraction, supplying an estimated 15 percent of the global demand for this critical mineral. This elevates Rubaya’s financial and strategic importance for the M23 group. The Congolese government recently designated the mine as a strategic mineral asset and framed it within the context of cooperation with the United States.
Despite diplomatic efforts aimed at establishing a ceasefire, intense clashes have erupted in recent days around Rubaya, leading to the displacement of hundreds of families. Mediation efforts to end the conflict in eastern Congo are continuing, hosted by Qatar. In this regard, agreements have been signed between Kinshasa and the M23 group to establish a joint ceasefire monitoring mechanism involving Qatar, the United States, and the African Union.
Willy Ngoma had been under European Union sanctions since December 2022. Official comments from the spokesperson for the presidency and the Congolese army regarding this incident have not yet been released. The M23 rebel group, which the United Nations reports receives support from Rwanda, controls significant portions of the North and South Kivu provinces following its rapid offensive last year.
The rebels had previously captured the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu during that offensive and briefly seized the town of Uvira in December of the previous year, though the Congolese army later succeeded in recapturing it. The border crossing between Congo and Burundi was reopened on Monday. The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) has also dispatched a joint assessment team to Uvira to support the implementation of the ceasefire monitoring mechanism agreed upon in Doha and to evaluate the security situation in the region.
