The M23/AFC advisor in charge of communication within the group’s political coordination, Magloire Paluku, has been shot dead amid escalating clashes between the Kinshasa government forces and M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement released early Thursday, the M23/AFC Cabinet Director, Jean-Pierre Lukamba Alumba Omokoko, confirmed that Paluku succumbed to gunshot wounds at Goma General Hospital, where he had been rushed for treatment.
Lukamba described the killing as an “ignoble criminal act,” adding that investigations are underway to identify those responsible.
He extended condolences to the “revolutionary community” and to Paluku’s family, noting that the deceased had “devoted his entire life to the struggle for social justice and peaceful coexistence among Congolese.”
Paluku’s death comes as the humanitarian situation in South Kivu rapidly deteriorates. Since December 2, 2025, more than 74 civilians have been killed and 83 wounded in fighting between the FARDC and M23 rebels, who are reportedly backed by Wazalendo militias.
According to Bruno Lemarquis, the UN humanitarian coordinator in the DRC and acting head of MONUSCO, the surge in violence is severely undermining medical evacuations, disrupting education, and damaging civilian infrastructure.
He noted that the conflict has displaced over 200,000 people within the province, while thousands more have fled into Burundi and Rwanda.
Lemarquis warned that conditions for displaced families remain dire, with overcrowded shelters, heightened health risks, and rising cases of gender-based violence.
He reiterated that civilians and civilian structures must never be targeted and called for an immediate end to the use of explosive weapons in populated areas.
He further pointed to the December 4 peace agreement signed in Washington between the DRC and Rwanda as a “glimmer of hope,” but stressed that its success hinges on the swift cessation of hostilities.
Humanitarian organizations, he said, stand ready to scale up assistance once security improves.
Between January and September 2025, more than 1.5 million people in South Kivu had already received food, shelter, and medical support
