The Congolese government has accused Rwanda of committing an act of war, after Rwandan forces opened fire on a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that it said had breached its airspace on Tuesday.
According to a statement from the Rwandan government’s spokesman Yolande Makolo, a Sukhoi-25 fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, breached Rwandan airspace for the third time above the Rubavu area, which is close to the North Kivu region’s capital Goma.
Defensive actions were taken, she continued, and Rwanda has requested that the DRC cease its hostility.
Rwanda claimed that a second fighter plane from the DRC had briefly trespassed into its airspace in December.
While on a reconnaissance mission close to the border in November, an unarmed Congolese warplane also made a brief landing at a Rwandan airstrip, which the DRC said was an accident.
In the most recent dispute between the two nations, whose relations have been strained by rebel conflict, the DRC refuted Rwanda’s claim that the jet had been in Rwandan airspace.
In a statement, Kinshasa confirmed that the shots from Rwanda were fired at a Congolese plane that was flying within Congolese territory. The statement also confirmed that the plane had landed safely in Goma.
According to the report, Rwanda’s action was a “planned act of aggression that amounts to an act of war” intended to jeopardize a deal to put a halt to the M23 rebel group’s offensive.
A missile was shown in a video that went viral on Congolese social media shooting at an airborne military plane before exploding nearby, while the plane continued to fly. It was impossible to instantly confirm the video.
The M23, which last year took many towns and villages in the DRC during renewed conflict, has been accused of having support from Rwanda by the DRC, United Nations experts, and Western powers. A Rwandan official has denied involvement.