M23 rebels claim drone attack on strategic Kisangani airport, undermining peace efforts as a UN mission prepares to deploy to eastern DR Congo.
KINSHASA: The M23 armed group has claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting a strategic airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This strike further dims hopes for peace as the United Nations prepares to send a mission to the volatile east.
The group confirmed in a statement it was behind the attack on Kisangani airport between Saturday and Sunday. It claimed the strike destroyed a military drone command centre at the facility.
Authorities had immediately blamed the M23 and Rwanda for the weekend attack. “Eight enemy drones were neutralised before reaching their target,” the provincial government of Tshopo said on Monday.
No casualties were reported from the incident. Security around the airport was stepped up and some residents fled the area, according to witnesses.
Kisangani is a city of over 1.5 million largely dependent on its airport due to poor roads. The civilian airport is also used by the Congolese army and its aircraft for launching drone and jet strikes.
“The use of drones and mercenaries is neither exclusive to, nor reserved for Kinshasa,” the M23 statement said. It highlighted the presence of equipment abandoned by Congolese forces at other airports.
The attack comes just a day after Qatar announced a first UN mission would soon leave for Uvira on the Burundian border. This mission aims to support the implementation of a “permanent” ceasefire.
Peace efforts led by Qatar and the United States have produced two separate accords in recent months. A Qatar-mediated commitment towards a ceasefire was signed in July between the government and M23.
In a parallel effort, the DRC and Rwanda formalised a US-brokered peace deal in Washington last December. Despite these agreements, clashes have continued on the ground.
Fighting has erupted in recent days near Minembwe in South Kivu province, sources say. The resource-rich eastern DRC has been mired in violence for three decades.
The Rwanda-backed M23 resumed fighting in late 2021 after years of dormancy. It seized the provincial capital Goma in January last year and Bukavu the following month.
Drone warfare has become a key part of the conflict, with both sides accusing the other of attacks. A security source told AFP the Kisangani attack sought to “neutralise” the DRC’s drone capabilities.
