Overview
- Multiple sources say Ngoma was killed before dawn on Feb. 24 near the coltan hub of Rubaya in North Kivu after days of drone activity reported in the area.
- Attribution for the strike remains unclear in public reporting, with officials declining comment and no party taking responsibility.
- Rubaya’s mines supply roughly 15% of the world’s coltan, making control of the area a strategic financial objective in the conflict.
- The incident comes as Kinshasa and M23 move to implement a Qatar‑mediated mechanism to monitor a ceasefire with international observers.
- Civil society groups report heavy fighting and fresh displacement around Rubaya, and Ngoma had been under European Union sanctions since 2022.