The military spokesperson for the M23 rebel group, Willy Ngoma, was killed in an army drone strike in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, a regional diplomat, a senior rebel official and a Western adviser to the government said.

The killing comes as Qatar-mediated ceasefire efforts continue, with Kinshasa and M23 having signed agreements in Doha to establish a joint ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism involving Qatar, the United States and the African Union as observers.

M23 controls large swathes of North and South Kivu provinces after a lightning offensive last year in which the rebels seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu.

The deadly strike on Tuesday happened near Rubaya, in North Kivu, at around 3 a.m. (0100 GMT), and came after several days of sustained drone offensives on the area by the Congolese army, the senior M23 official told Reuters.

Strategic area

Rubaya is a strategic coltan-mining hub that produces around 15% of the world's supply, making it a key financial stronghold for the M23 rebels.

A spokesperson for the Congolese presidency declined to comment and a spokesperson for DR Congo's army did not immediately respond.