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The DRC has denied these accusations.
With our correspondent in Kigali, Lucie Mouillaud, and our correspondent in Kinshasa, Patient Ligodi
New tensions on the border between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yesterday, Rwanda once more accused one of the Congolese Sukhoi-25 attack planes of violating its airspace, leading to a military response.
It was just following 5 p.m. on Tuesday that a Congolese army attack plane, according to the Rwandan government, violated its airspace in the Rubavu district, bordering the city of Goma.
The videos are impressive. We see a Sukhoi-25, which was already beginning its descent on Goma, brushing once morest the worst, narrowly escaping what appears to be a ground-to-air shot. The plane was able to land a few moments later on the runway of the capital of North Kivu. Immediately on the tarmac, he was quickly taken care of by a fire-fighting device. Minutes later, the Rwandan government issued a statement accusing the Congolese aircraft of violating its airspace.
Without further details, Kigali says it took defensive action following what it describes as ” third act of the genre since the beginning of the month. The Rwandan authorities conclude their statement by asking Kinshasa to ” stop this aggression ».
For its part, Kinshasa rejects all accusations of overflight of Rwandan airspace. The Congolese government speaks of yet another attack by Rwanda and a deliberate act of aggression that amounts to an act of war ».
Rwanda already had, in november and last December, twice accused the Congolese authorities of having violated its airspace, denouncing acts of provocation, without leading a military response.
On land between the two countries, the situation was already tense at the start of the day. On at least two front lines, shots were heard. The FARDC accuse the Rwandan soldiers of supporting M23 fighters, particularly near Kitchanga, in Masisi territory. The Congolese government also emphasizes ” the need and urgency to maintain pressure on Rwanda and the M23 ” given that “ this violence might jeopardize the electoral operations for the elections scheduled for this year ».
