Drone strike kills UN aid worker in the eastern Congo city of Goma

GOMA, Congo (AP) — A series of explosions attributed to drones killed at least one person, a U.N. aid worker, as the attack on the Wednesday rocked downtown Goma in eastern Congo, according to the M23 rebel group and local residents.

The drone strikes hit Lake Kivu and a private residence located about 50 meters (164 feet) from the home of former Congo President Joseph Kabila Kabange.

M23 blamed the government for the attack. The government didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. The rebel group said that the attack killed three people, but the number couldn't be immediately confirmed. Residents said they only had seen a single body.

Karine Buisset, a French national and a UNICEF employee, was in the residence and killed in the attack, M23 and residents said.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell confirmed Buisset's death in a post on X.

“All of us at UNICEF are devastated and outraged by the killing,” Russell said. “Civilians, including aid workers, must never be targeted.”

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences to the victim's family.

“I call for respect for humanitarian law and for the personnel on the ground who are committed to saving lives," he wrote on X.

Since January 2025, conflicts have flared between the Congolese armed forces and the Rwanda-backed M23 after the group swept through the eastern region in lightning attacks and seized key cities. A drone strike in February killed a spokesperson and senior official deeply involved in the operations of the rebel group.

The conflict, which has raged on despite a truce brokered by the United States and Qatar, has sparked a huge humanitarian crisis, with at least 7 million people displaced.

UNICEF staff members mourn at the home of their colleague who was killed in a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A man stands in a house hit by a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

People clear a house hit by a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

U.N peacekeepers guard a house hit by a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

A house damaged by a drone strike in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, Wednesday, March 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Moses Sawasawa)

WOODLAND, Calif. (AP) — Five people have been charged with murder in a deadly Northern California explosion at a fireworks warehouse that killed seven people, authorities said.

Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Clara Nabity said Friday the charges stem from a grand jury indictment that found five people, including a former Yolo County Sheriff lieutenant, responsible for the explosion.

The deadly fireworks explosion near the small farming community of Esparto in Yolo County sparked a massive fire and led to nearby Fourth of July celebrations being called off.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WOODLAND, Calif. (AP) — Seven people have been arrested in connection with a fireworks warehouse explosion in Northern California that killed seven people and injured two others last July, authorities said Friday.

The deadly fireworks explosion near the small farming community of Esparto in Yolo County sparked a massive fire and led to nearby Fourth of July celebrations being called off.

The Yolo County District Attorney's Office is expected to announce the indictments for those arrested at a news conference Friday. Several of those arrested have been booked on murder charges, according to jail records.

Those arrested include Samuel Machado and Tammy Machado, who owned the warehouse about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Sacramento. At the time, Samuel Machado was a lieutenant with the Yolo County Sheriff’s Office and his wife, Tammy Machado, was a non-sworn administrative employee. They were put on leave after the incident.

Kenneth Chee, owner of Devastating Pyrotechnics, whose illegal fireworks were being stored at the warehouse, was arrested in Florida. He appeared in a Florida courtroom Friday and was told he will be extradited to California within the week, KCRA-TV reported.

Authorities also arrested Jack Lee, the operations manager for Devastating Pyrotechnic, and Gary Chan Jr., whose name is on the company’s federal license, the television station reported.

Craig Cutright, the owner of Blackstar Fireworks, which operated at the Esparto property owned by the Machados, was also among those arrested. Cutright, was a volunteer firefighter for the Esparto Fire District and was also listed as an employee of Devastating Pyrotechnics, KCRA-TV reported.

One of Cutright's employees, Ronald Botelho III, has been in custody since December. More than a dozen new charges were filed against him Thursday, jail records show.

At the time of explosion, people living nearby described the blast being so strong that it blew open the doors of homes.

Nisa Gutierrez told the Sacramento CBS affiliate KOVR-TV that she and her daughter were in their yard and were nearly knocked over as their pony and goats scattered.

“We hear like a big boom, and feel the wave,” Gutierrez said. “I thought it was a bomb.”

After the explosion, officials in nearby Sutter and Yuba counties announced they would find alternatives for Fourth of July celebrations after their fireworks were destroyed in the blast.

Smoke and flames rise during a fireworks warehouse explosion near Esparto, Calif., Tuesday, July 1, 2025. (Kent Porter/The Press Democrat via AP, File)