Congo’s government and the Rwanda‑backed M23 rebels exchanged accusations on Friday, each charging the other with breaching the cease‑fire deal that was supposed to end decades of fighting in the eastern part of the country. A drone strike in Goma that killed a French United Nations staffer – an attack the M23 blames on Congolese forces – followed a similar strike weeks earlier that killed the rebel group’s spokesperson. The violence has rattled a separate minerals agreement negotiated by former U.S. President Donald Trump to give America access to Congo’s mineral wealth.
M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said 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.” He added that the rebels would continue to seek a diplomatic solution provided their safety is respected. Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya replied that the authorities are investigating the strike that killed the French aid worker, blamed the M23 for the cease‑fire breach, and reaffirmed the government’s “commitment to respecting the cease‑fire and other agreements.”
Residents of Goma reported ongoing clashes between M23 fighters and Congolese troops, sometimes joined by the local Wazalendo militia, displacing thousands of civilians in recent weeks. The Associated Press noted it could not independently verify events in the hard‑to‑reach localities, underscoring the difficulty of confirming details on the ground.
The renewed fighting complicates broader peace efforts involving regional partners such as Rwanda, Qatar and the United States. According to a report by the U.S.‑based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), at least 60 drone strikes have been attributed to the Congolese military in 2026, while rebel‑claimed strikes represent less than 5 % of the total in the past year. Christian Rumu, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International, warned that “people are still losing their lives, displacement continues and heavy artillery is being used in densely populated areas, with no positive change” from the peace deals.
The conflict has already displaced an estimated 7 million people in eastern Congo, creating one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises and threatening the stability of any mineral‑trade arrangements tied to the Trump‑brokered agreement. As drone strikes and artillery fire persist, the fragile cease‑fire remains under severe strain, raising doubts about the durability of any negotiated peace.