AFC/M23 has confirmed the death of one of its senior officials, military spokesperson Colonel Willy Ngoma, who was killed amid escalating clashes with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s state army.
Reports circulating earlier this week said Ngoma died in a drone strike launched by government forces around 3 a.m. last Tuesday in Rubaya, North Kivu.
In a statement issued on Saturday, February 28, AFC/M23 said attacks targeting its soldiers and civilians “claimed the life of one of our senior officers.”
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“Colonel Willy Ngoma died on February 24, 2026,” the statement read, adding that the attacks “continue to take the lives of many innocent compatriots. These crimes will neither go unnoticed nor unpunished. The memory of the victims binds us and engages our collective responsibility.”
The strike in Rubaya follows several similar incidents reported in South Kivu, including in Minembwe, Mikenge, Karingi, and across the Hauts Plateaux. AFC/M23 Deputy Coordinator Bertrand Bisimwa recently alleged that the attacks killed multiple civilians.
According to the labels, ongoing attacks by the Kinshasa government in North Kivu and South Kivu are “deliberately violating the ceasefire and imposing a full-scale war on the AFC/M23.”
Ngoma was killed in Rubaya, a strategic coltan-mining hub in Masisi territory, North Kivu province. The area hosts some of the world’s richest tantalum deposits and serves as a key financial stronghold for M23.
“These criminal attacks, which are still ongoing, unequivocally demonstrate the Kinshasa regime’s intent to sow terror, chaos, and death among the civilian population,” AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said in a separate statement.
The Congolese government has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
However, both the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and M23 continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire over the past weeks, particularly in parts of South Kivu and North Kivu controlled by the armed group.
Peace talks in Doha remain strained as hostilities persist on the ground.