Eastern Congo Peace Efforts Crumble as Drone Attacks Continue

Fighting has resumed between Congo's government forces and Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, despite recent ceasefire agreements. A French UN worker was killed in a drone strike this week, while thousands of civilians have been forced from their homes.

GOMA, Congo — Both sides in Congo’s long-running conflict are pointing fingers at each other for breaking ceasefire terms designed to end decades of warfare and establish lasting peace in the war-torn eastern region.

The fragile peace agreement, along with a separate minerals accord that Congo signed with the Trump administration to give the U.S. access to the nation’s valuable mineral resources, now faces serious challenges following renewed drone attacks and ground fighting.

President Trump played a role in brokering peace negotiations between Congo and neighboring Rwanda, which has been viewed as an important behind-the-scenes participant in the conflict. Meanwhile, Qatar and other international partners have supported direct talks between Congo’s government and the M23 rebel movement.

However, both diplomatic efforts have failed to stop the violence.

This Tuesday, a drone attack that M23 fighters attribute to Congo’s military resulted in the death of a French United Nations worker in the strategic city of Goma. The incident occurred less than 30 days after another similar aerial strike killed the rebel group’s spokesperson and wounded multiple others.

Local residents are reporting ongoing battles between M23 forces and Congo’s army, sometimes with assistance from the regional Wazalendo militia. These clashes have forced thousands of people to flee their homes in recent weeks.

Speaking to The Associated Press, M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka stated that his organization remains dedicated to peace initiatives provided Congo’s military “refrains from attacking our positions and assassinating our leaders, soldiers, and innocent civilians.”

Patrick Muyaya, a spokesman for Congo’s government, confirmed that authorities are looking into this week’s drone strike that claimed the life of the French aid worker, though he declined to provide details about other aerial attacks.

While Muyaya accused M23 of breaking ceasefire terms, he emphasized that the government wants to “reaffirm our commitment to respecting the ceasefire” and other negotiated agreements.

The Associated Press was unable to independently confirm events in the affected areas of the region. These attacks have made peace efforts more difficult in an area where mass burial sites have recently been discovered.

The ongoing warfare has created one of the globe’s most severe humanitarian emergencies, with no fewer than 7 million people forced from their homes in eastern Congo.

Even as peace negotiations continue, Congo’s military has been linked to at least 60 drone attacks in 2026, while rebels have been responsible for fewer than 5% of such strikes in the past year, according to research from the U.S.-based Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), an organization that tracks global conflict data.

“You still have people losing their lives to this crisis, and you still have displacement,” said Christian Rumu, a senior campaigner with Amnesty International, noting that Congolese citizens “do not feel any positive change” from the peace agreements.

“Heavy artillery has been used on densely populated areas throughout the conflict since 2021, and we see that in the latest attack in Goma,” Rumu explained.