Bombs hit Goma airport as DRC-M23 battle rages

North Kivu, DRC | THE INDEPENDENT | The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused neighboring Rwanda of orchestrating a bomb attack at Goma International Airport in Goma city, North Kivu province. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning around 02:00 AM when two 81 MM mortar bombs, mounted on commercial drones, struck the airport, causing damage to a Sukhoi-25 fighter jet.

A reliable security source at the airport suspects that the bombs could have been launched from Kibumba in Nyiragongo territory near the Rwanda border, where the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels are reportedly stationed with heavy weapons.

Lieutenant-Colonel Ndjike Kaiko Guillaume, spokesperson for the military in North Kivu province, confirmed the attack in a statement on Saturday afternoon, accusing Rwanda of being behind it. He emphasized that the attack violated the territorial limits of the DRC but noted that airport activities continued normally on Saturday despite the incident.

“During the night from Friday to Saturday, February 17, at 2 am, the attack drones of the Rwandan army, which left Rwandan territory, violated the territorial limits of the DRC and targeted the aircraft of the Armed Forces of the DRC with regard to the trajectories followed by the shots of these drones.”

The Rwandan government has yet to respond to the accusations. This incident coincides with a mini-summit being held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to address the crisis between the DR Congo and Rwanda, with Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Felix Tshisekedi in physical attendance.

Also present are South Africa’s Cyril Ramaphosa, Angola’s Joao Lourenco, Uganda’s Vice President Jessica Alupo, and African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki. The objective of the mini-summit is to work towards a ceasefire between the DRC and the M23 rebels and to explore the possibility of direct dialogue between Kagame and Tshisekedi, as stated by Angolan President Lourenco.

Meanwhile, fierce fighting between the M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) soldiers, under their umbrella Wazalendo (Patriots), and troops under the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is ongoing in the locality of Mweso, Bashali Mokoto grouping in the Masisi territory, specifically in Mbuhi, located less than 3 kilometers from the Mweso commercial center, Bushenge, and Pilote.

However, a decrease in gunfire was observed in the Nyiragongo territory north of the city of Goma. In March 2022, M23, led by Bertrand Bisimwa and General Sultan Makenga, launched a war against the government.

The DR Congo government accuses Rwanda of backing M23, but Rwanda and M23 strongly deny it, with the rebels claiming to fight against bad leadership in DR Congo based on corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination.

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