On Friday, the Democratic Republic of the Congo government and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels accused each other of breaking a ceasefire arrangement designed to halt fighting in the conflict-battered east and build toward a lasting peace, but neither side said the guns have stopped. Recent drone strikes and clashes near the key city of Goma have renewed skepticism about whether the broader diplomacy—including a separate minerals track involving the U.S. President Donald Trump administration—can hold.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka told The Associated Press that the rebel group still wants the peace process to continue, but he set conditions for that to happen. He said M23 would remain committed if Congo’s army “refrains from attacking our positions and assassinating our leaders, soldiers, and innocent civilians.”
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said the government is investigating the latest strike that AP reported killed a French aid worker in Goma. Muyaya did not detail other drone strikes, but he blamed M23 for violating the ceasefire, while also saying the government side would like to “reaffirm our commitment to respecting the ceasefire” and related agreements.
The latest accusations followed a pattern of violence in and around Goma, with residents continuing to describe clashes involving M23 and Congo’s forces, at times joined by the local Wazalendo militia. AP reported that thousands were displaced in recent weeks, underscoring the humanitarian impact on civilians even as talks continue.
AP also reported that on Tuesday a drone strike that M23 blamed on Congolese forces killed a French United Nations staffer in Goma. The report said the strike came less than a month after a similar attack killed M23’s spokesperson and injured several others, pointing to a recurring cycle of strikes and counter-strikes that has complicated ceasefire efforts.
Rwanda-backed M23 and the Congolese government have put forward competing explanations for the deteriorating security situation. The Associated Press reported that a U.S.-linked track involving the Trump administration helped negotiate a peace deal between Congo and neighboring Rwanda, while Qatar and other partners have championed a parallel track involving direct negotiations between the government and M23—yet both tracks have failed to stop the fighting.
In remarks carried by AP, Christian Rumu, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International, said the conflict’s human toll has continued despite the peace talks. “You still have people losing their lives to this crisis, and you still have displacement,” Rumu said, adding that Congolese people “do not feel any positive change” from the peace deals. He also pointed to artillery used on densely populated areas throughout the conflict since 2021, saying the pattern has carried into the latest attack in Goma.
The Associated Press reported that the conflict has precipitated one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with at least 7 million people displaced in eastern Congo. It also cited an ACLED report—based on data that the organization said it gathers on conflict around the world—that attributed at least 60 drone strikes to the Congolese military in 2026 and said fewer than 5% of drone strikes in the region were attributed to the rebels in the last year.
Residents and international observers said the fighting has complicated peace efforts, including after the AP reported mass graves were recently found in the region. In the near term, the ceasefire’s credibility now hinges on whether both sides can meet their own public conditions—particularly amid allegations that drones and clashes are continuing in areas meant to be under restraint.