DRC Army Reports Killing Senior M23 Rebel Leader in East

2026-02-28 02:01:04

(MENAFN) The army of the Democratic Republic of Congo announced on Tuesday that it had killed a senior figure in the M23 rebel group during operations in the eastern part of the country.

In a post on the social media platform X, the army labeled Willy Ngoma, the M23 group’s military spokesperson, as a “terrorist.”

“The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) confirm that the terrorist Willy Ngoma has been successfully neutralized during military operations,” the statement said.

“The FARDC remain determined to dismantle all terrorist networks and to restore peace and security across the entire national territory.”

No additional details were provided by the military. Sources indicated that Ngoma was killed around 2:40 a.m. local time in a drone strike near the mining town of Rubaya in Masisi territory, North Kivu. The strike reportedly hit a residential building near a farm owned by another rebel leader, Gen. Innocent Gahizi.

The M23 has not officially commented on Ngoma’s death. However, earlier Tuesday, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka posted on X that since “2:43 a.m., drones from the coalition forces of the Kinshasa regime” had “been indiscriminately bombing the town of Rubaya, spreading terror and massacring innocent civilians.”

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