Provincial authorities in Tshopo Province said four explosive-laden drones targeted Bangboka airport in Kisangani on Sunday, in what officials described as a coordinated attack on a strategic civilian and military facility. The government blamed the AFC/M23 rebel group, which Kinshasa says is backed by neighbouring Rwanda. Officials said the drones were intercepted and shot down, and no casualties were reported.
The attack unfolded in four waves between Sunday afternoon and early evening, according to local authorities. One of the final attempts came as a passenger aircraft operated by Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation was preparing to land, raising fears of a possible aviation disaster if the drones had not been neutralised.
Bangboka airport serves both civilian and military operations and has become increasingly important in the conflict between Congolese forces and M23 rebels. Reuters reported that the Congolese army uses the runway to deploy attack drones and fighter jets against M23 positions and what it describes as Rwandan army targets in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The latest incident follows a similar attack on the same airport between January 31 and February 1, when eight explosive-laden drones were launched at the facility. That earlier strike was later claimed by AFC/M23 leader Corneille Nangaa, who said the operation was intended to challenge the Congolese military’s air advantage and warned that Kisangani would not be allowed to serve as a launch point for attacks on rebel-held areas.
Tensions have escalated further in recent days after M23 said a Congolese army drone strike killed its military spokesperson, Willy Ngoma, near Rubaya in North Kivu. Reuters reported that the strike came after several days of sustained drone attacks in the area, underscoring the growing use of unmanned aerial warfare by both sides in the conflict. The renewed drone attacks on Kisangani, a city far from the main front lines in the east, suggest the conflict is widening in scope and threatening infrastructure well beyond the immediate battle zone.
