Rwanda has shot at a military aircraft of the armed forces of the DRC which allegedly violated the country’s airspace, according to media reports.
The media stated that a fighter jet was flying near the DRC-Rwanda border heading from the town of Kitshanga, DRC, when it was hit. After that, the plane landed at Goma International Airport, eastern DRC, with its right wing on fire. The fire was extinguished without further damage by a fire truck, which intervened on the runway.
Following the incident, Rwandan officials stated that the Congolese fighter jet had violated its airspace, urging the DRC "to stop this aggression.”
“Today, January 24 at 5:03 pm,a Sukhoi-25 from Congo violated Rwanda's airspace for the third time. Defensive measures were taken,” a statement issued by the office of Rwanda’s government spokesperson read.
However, the DRC’s government responded to the allegation by saying that the aircraft was attacked in its home airspace. It underlined that the fighter plane was shot when it started landing at the airport in Goma, so it didn't "fly over Rwandan airspace." The government stated that the plane managed to land with almost no major material damage.
“The DR Congo government strongly condemns and denounces the attack on its fighter plane by the Rwandan army in Congolese airspace and does not intend to let it go,” the Congolese government said in a statement.
It further condemned the attack, regarding it “as an act of aggression,” aimed at undermining the ongoing peace process under the Luanda and Nairobi talks.
Incidents of this kind with alleged violation of airspace have occurred at least twice. In December, Kigali said that another fighter jet from the DRC violated its airspace along Lake Kivu in the western province of the country. Rwanda's spokesman Yolande Makolo then also stressed that "these repeated violations are against the spirit" of the peace initiatives. A similar situation also happened in November last year.
Tensions between the neighboring countries have been increasing recently, as the Congolese government accused Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, which are active mainly in the eastern part of DRC in the province of North Kivu. However, Kigali denied any involvement.
The March 23 Movement, also known as M23, is a largely Congolese armed group, which was formed in 2012. In late 2021, the group started an insurgency, seizing large parts of the country. Even though the DRC repeatedly accused Rwanda of backing the M23, in November, leaders of the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi and Angola met in Luanda to discuss the peace settlement in eastern DRC as part of a joint effort to ensure stability in the region.