AFC/M23 Deputy Coordinator, Dr. Freddy Kaniki, has issued a stern warning over continued drone attacks by the Kinshasa government, describing them as a “serious escalation.”
In his statement on the ongoing crisis in eastern DRC, Kaniki said the government of President Félix Tshisekedi has intensified its tactics by targeting the group’s key leadership figures. He cited a recent drone strike that killed military spokesperson Lt. Col. Willy Ngoma, only days after the Luanda ceasefire agreement.
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“On March 11, 2026, in Goma’s densely populated Himbi neighborhood, another drone strike deliberately targeted senior AFC/M23 leadership,” Kaniki stated.
According to him, the Goma drone attack, however, killed a French UNICEF aid worker and two Congolese civilians, while several others, including expatriates, were wounded.
“These events are not isolated,” he added. “Drone strikes and mortar attacks continue to affect populated areas across Masisi, Mushaki, Rubaya, and Minembwe. These operations disproportionately impact Banyamulenge communities’ civilian populations that had begun to experience relative stability and coexistence under our protection.”
No More Genocide
Kaniki further revealed that his father and three brothers were killed by government forces three decades ago, in 1996, due to their identity, claiming that violence against the Congolese Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities continues, even as the Doha talks remain strained.
“I built a life in the United States, education, career, and stability, but chose to return because silence, once again, was not an option,” he said, adding that “defending our people becomes a necessity, not a choice.”
“No more genocide. No more silence.”
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Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) and M23 continue to accuse each other of violating the ceasefire over the past week, particularly in parts of South Kivu and North Kivu.
Hostilities persist on the ground.