March 2 (Reuters) – Drones have attacked the airport serving Kisangani, a strategic city in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo far from active front lines in the east, local officials said on Monday, blaming the AFC/M23 rebel group and neighbouring Rwanda.
AFC/M23, which U.N. experts say is backed by Rwanda, launched drones at the airport in early February, saying it had been used to attack AFC/M23 positions and civilians in areas under its control.
AFC/M23 controls swathes of eastern Congo after a rapid offensive last year in which it seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu. Rwanda denies backing the rebels.
AFC/M23 could not immediately be reached for comment on the latest attack.
The government of Tshopo province, where Kisangani is located, said four kamikaze drones were intercepted and shot down near the airport between Sunday afternoon and early evening, some as a passenger aircraft was preparing to land. It did not report any damage or casualties.
It was not clear whether any other drones had hit targets, and Tshopo’s governor did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A Reuters witness at the airport heard several explosions throughout Sunday afternoon and bursts of gunfire that sent staff, vendors and nearby residents fleeing. Operations resumed in the evening.
Fighting has continued in eastern Congo in recent weeks on several fronts, despite mediation efforts by parties including Qatar and the United States.
Last Tuesday, Congo’s army killed AFC/M23 spokesperson Willy Ngoma, one of the group’s most visible figures, in a drone strike near the coltan-mining town of Rubaya.
(Reporting by Congo newsroom; Writing by Clement Bonnerot; Editing by Robbie Corey-Boulet and Kevin Liffey)
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