DR Congo fighter Jet ‘invade’ Rwanda airspace
Congo fighter Jet 'invade' Rwanda airspace further jeopardizing the peace progress between the two countries
Congo fighter Jet ‘invade’ Rwanda airspace further jeopardizing the peace progress between the two countries.
In the midst of rising tensions between the neighbors over rebels moving in the DRC’s unstable east, Rwanda claimed that a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo violated its airspace on Wednesday.
The DRC has accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group, which has captured swathes of territory from the Congolese army and allied militias in recent months.
Kigali has denied the allegations, which are also supported by UN experts as well as the United States, France, and Belgium.
It charges Kinshasa with working along with the former Rwandan Hutu rebel organization FDLR, which is based in the DRC.
“A Sukhoi-25 fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) violated Rwandan airspace along Lake Kivu in the Western Province of Rwanda today at around” midday, the Rwandan government said in a statement.
The aircraft immediately returned to the DRC, the statement said, adding: “Rwandan authorities have once again protested to the DRC government against the violations of Rwandan airspace by DRC fighter jets.”
It comes less than two months after Kigali accused another DRC fighter jet of violating its airspace.
“The authorities in the DRC seem to be emboldened by consistent coddling by some in the international community who repeatedly heap blame on Rwanda for any and all ills in the DRC while ignoring the transgressions originating from the DRC.
“These provocations must stop,” the statement said.
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The East African Community (EAC) bloc has sent out an unified regional force to put an end to the combat between the Congolese military and the M23, which has advanced on Goma, the capital of the DRC’s North Kivu province.
Following intense international pressure, the rebels last week handed over the important town of Kibumba to an East African military force, claiming it was a “goodwill gesture.”
The departure, however, was viewed by the Congolese army as a “sham” designed to strengthen the group’s strongholds elsewhere.
Despite Rwanda’s denials, a report by independent experts for the United Nations Security Council pointed to Kigali’s alleged support for the M23.
Rwanda deployed troops to fight alongside the rebels and supplied them with weapons, ammunition, and uniforms, according to the report.
The M23, a mostly Congolese group, resumed fighting in late 2021 after lying dormant for years, accusing the DRC government of failing to honor an agreement to integrate its fighters into the army.
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