North Kivu Governor Bahati Erasto on Sunday visited the guards’ camp at the Rumangabo eco-park following what regional authorities described as a destructive bombardment carried out at dawn by coalition forces of the Kinshasa government using a combat drone.
According to officials in North Kivu, the attack was conducted by Congolese government-aligned forces and targeted infrastructure within the Rumangabo area, causing significant destruction at the eco-park guards’ camp.
Authorities condemned the strike as a deliberate attack on civilian and environmental infrastructure.
During the visit on May 24, Governor Bahati Erasto personally assessed the extent of the damage and met with personnel stationed at the site.
Local authorities accused the Kinshasa government of escalating military attacks in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo while civilians continue bearing the consequences of the worsening conflict.
In a strongly worded statement, North Kivu officials described the bombardment as further evidence of what they called the Kinshasa regime’s “headlong rush into deadly flight,” accusing government forces of relying on terror, blind violence, and systematic destruction as methods of governance and warfare.
The authorities further accused the Congolese government of intensifying what they described as a broad campaign of disinformation, media manipulation, fake news dissemination, and propaganda surrounding the conflict in eastern Congo.
The Rumangabo area, located in the volatile North Kivu province, remains strategically sensitive because of its proximity to active frontlines and zones controlled by rival armed factions.
The wider eastern Congo conflict continues to fuel one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people displaced nationwide and millions facing severe food insecurity and limited access to healthcare.
Authorities aligned with the AFC/M23 coalition have repeatedly accused Congolese government forces and their allies of carrying out indiscriminate bombardments in populated areas. 
