The French president announced on X the death of "a French aid worker from UNICEF" in Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo that has fallen under the control of the March 23 Movement (M23). The head of state called for "respect for humanitarian law and for the personnel on the ground who are working to save lives." The victim's identity has not been made public, but the shock has already spread beyond France's borders.
In the night between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to humanitarian sources, the French national was killed after an airstrike hit the house where she lived. The house is located in Himbi, a residential area on the shores of Lake Kivu, known for hosting many expatriates and several humanitarian organizations. Since the fall of Goma, residences in the area have also been requisitioned by M23 leaders, a detail that carries significant weight as the front lines draw ever closer.
One strike, one house, and the fog of responsibility
One strike, one house, and a fog of accountability. In the city, witnesses reported several explosions and the sounds of drones during the night. Humanitarian sources mentioned strikes targeting several sites and several deaths, though no consolidated toll has been released at this stage. For AFP, it is impossible to establish with certainty the exact origin of these strikes: as the reader understands, in these kinds of wars, facts are gleaned through trial and error, never through direct observation.
Security sources contacted by AFP suggest a possible explanation: the strikes may have targeted M23 officials or associates, and the aid worker's house may have been hit "by mistake." This word (mistake) sounds like an excuse and has the brutality of a verdict. When drones become the arbiters of the battlefield, the line between military target and civilian life blurs, and those who come to provide medical care, food, and protection sometimes end up caught in the very gears they are trying to slow down.
Since late 2021, the M23 has conquered vast areas in eastern DRC, reportedly with the support of Rwanda and its army, in a resource-rich region scarred by three decades of conflict. Kinshasa's forces, positioned several hundred kilometers from Goma, regularly conduct drone strikes against M23 positions: a war waged at a distance, with consequences felt close to home. Following the death of this French aid worker, the issue is no longer simply one of front lines, but rather the role (and actual safety) afforded to those on the ground who stand between the violence and the survivors.
