KINSHASA, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), known as MONUSCO, voiced deep concern on Saturday over reports of a drone strike in the country's conflict-hit eastern region.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, MONUSCO strongly condemned attacks, including those carried out by drones, that target or affect civilians and civilian infrastructure, urging an independent verification of the reported incident in Masisi-center, located in North Kivu Province, where fighting has been raging between the DRC government forces and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.
The UN mission called on all parties to strictly respect the ceasefire and international humanitarian law, and to prioritize the implementation of existing peace agreements reached under various diplomatic mediation efforts.
According to a statement released late Friday by the international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres, 42 people, including women and children, were admitted to the Masisi General Referral Hospital after an airstrike hit a residential area. The patients suffered shrapnel wounds and other trauma, and two of them died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Masisi is among the areas hardest hit by the conflict in the eastern DRC. The reported drone strike came amid intensified fighting last week between the M23, the DRC military, and their respective allies.
In neighboring South Kivu Province, fighting also broke out Saturday morning between the M23 and pro-government militias known as the Wazalendo around Uvira, a strategic town that the M23 briefly seized on Dec. 10, 2025, and said it had withdrawn from a week later, local media reported.
The eastern DRC has been plagued by recurring violence for decades, a situation further aggravated by the resurgence of the M23 rebellion since late 2021. Kinshasa has accused Rwanda of backing the rebel group, allegations that Kigali has repeatedly denied. ■
