GOMA, Congo — Congo’s government and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels accused each other of breaching a ceasefire on Friday, casting doubt on peace efforts in eastern Congo. Recent drone strikes, including one that killed a French UN staffer in Goma, have further destabilized the region despite negotiations involving the U.S., Rwanda, and Qatar.
“The group is still committed to peace efforts if Congo’s army refrains from attacking our positions and assassinating our leaders, soldiers, and innocent civilians,” M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka told The Associated Press.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said the government is investigating this week’s strike that killed a French aid worker but did not elaborate on other drone strikes. He blamed the M23 for violating the ceasefire, adding that the government side would like to “reaffirm our commitment to respecting the ceasefire” and other agreements.
The conflict has created one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, with at least 7 million people displaced in eastern Congo. Despite peace talks, at least 60 drone strikes have been attributed to the Congolese military in 2026, according to a report by the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project. Less than 5% of drone strikes in the region have been attributed to the rebels in the last year, the report found.
“You still have people losing their lives to this crisis, and you still have displacement,” said Christian Rumu, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International. “Heavy artillery has been used on densely populated areas throughout the conflict since 2021, and we see that in the latest attack in Goma.”
The fighting complicates a separate minerals deal that Congo signed with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to enable American access to Congo’s rich minerals. Trump helped negotiate a peace deal between Congo and neighboring Rwanda, seen as an indirect but key player in the conflict, while Qatar and other partners have championed similar efforts involving direct negotiations between the government and the M23.
Neither track has halted the fighting. On Tuesday, a drone strike that the M23 blames on Congolese forces killed a French United Nations staffer in Goma, less than a month after a similar strike killed the rebel group’s spokesperson and injured several others. Residents continue to report clashes between the M23 and Congo’s forces, sometimes joined by the local Wazalendo militia group, with thousands displaced in recent weeks.
The Associated Press could not independently verify events in affected localities in the region. The attacks have, however, complicated peace efforts in the region where mass graves were recently found.