From UDPS Activist to M23 Commander: Willy Ngoma Killed in Drone Strike
Colonel Willy Ngoma (1974 – 24 February 2026) was the military spokesperson of the Congolese Revolutionary Army (ARC), the armed wing of the Alliance Fleuve Congo/March 23 Movement (AFC/M23), an armed rebellion operating in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was killed in a drone strike in the Rubaya area of North Kivu province.
Early Life and Political Engagement
Originally from Kongo Central province, Willy Ngoma said he grew up and lived in Kinshasa. In interviews, he described himself as a former activist within the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), the political party founded by veteran opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi.
Ngoma claimed to have been an influential member of the UDPS and maintained that he had worked closely with senior party figures. As evidence of his political ties, he shared photographs of himself with Rubens Mikindo, a former Minister of Hydrocarbons and senior UDPS official, taken at the Grands Lacs Hotel in Goma.
He also cited his connection to Congolese gospel singer Matou Samuel, stating that they were close and shared the same Ne Kongo ethnic background.
Entry into Armed Struggle
According to his own account, Ngoma joined the M23 rebellion at its creation in 2012 after working in internal security services. Following the military defeat of M23 in 2013, he went into exile with other fighters at the Bihanga military camp in Uganda.
He stated that on 14 January 2017, he returned to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and entered the Sarambwe maquis, marking his re-engagement in armed activities in eastern Congo.
Alleged Networks and Claims
Ngoma also asserted links with several Congolese personalities, including traditional healer Didier Mampasi
In further testimony, he claimed that he had stayed in South Africa in the early 2000s alongside Étienne Tshisekedi. He alleged that during that period, politico-military structures linked to the UDPS were organized and that contacts existed with the Congolese Rally for Democracy (RCD).
Role within AFC/M23
Until his death, Willy Ngoma served as the official military spokesperson of the ARC/AFC-M23. He was one of the movement’s most visible figures, frequently representing its positions in media communications during periods of intensified fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
