Congo accuses Rwanda of airport ‘drone attack’

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - The Rwandan army carried out a “drone attack” on the Democratic Republic of Congo’s airport in eastern Goma = which damaged civilian planes, Congo’s military said Saturday.

The accusations came after a bomb blast was reported early Saturday at the Goma International Airport in North Kivu province amid ongoing fighting between M23 rebels and government forces.

“The Rwandan army drones targeted aircraft of FARDC (DR Congo army), in the wee hours of Saturday,” army spokesperson in North Kivu province, Guillaume Djike Kaïko, said in a video shared by provincial authorities.

But “the FARDC aircraft were not hit, it was rather the civilian planes that were damaged,” he said.

The security situation remains volatile around Goma, where thousands of residents fleeing war have sought safety amid heavy fighting.

Recently, Congolese fighter jets have reportedly been used to hit M23 rebels after fighting intensified around the strategic town of Sake, 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the provincial capital, Goma.

Sake is said to be the last barrier before Goma, whose capture by rebels would cut off Goma.

The Congo accuses Rwanda of backing M23 rebels battling government forces in the east, a claim Kigali consistently denies.

Kigali has also accused Kinshasa of pursuing regime change in Rwanda.

There was no immediate response from the Rwandan military on the latest allegations.

But Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on Friday at a mini-summit hosted by Angolan President João Lourenço to discuss the conflict in eastern Congo.

Lourenco, African Union designated mediator on the peace and security situation in eastern Congo, stressed the need to revive the peace process and achieve a cease-fire between the Congo’s armed forces and the M23 rebel group, as well as to initiate direct dialogue between Tshisekedi and Kagame to end the conflict between the two neighboring countries.

The second round of the summit is due to take place Saturday on the sidelines of the 37th African Union summit.

Since the first week of February, at least 15 civilians have been killed and 29 injured around Goma and Sake, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said earlier this week.

Roughly 135,000 internally displaced persons have fled Sake to Goma, according to the UNHCR.