Drones carrying explosives targeted a strategic airport in the northeastern city of Kisangani over the weekend, the provincial government reported on Monday.
According to a statement by the Tshopo provincial authorities, the attacks occurred between Saturday and Sunday. “Eight enemy drones were neutralised before reaching their target,” the statement said. No casualties have been reported.
Kisangani, a city of over 1.5 million on the banks of the Congo River, relies heavily on its airport due to poor road infrastructure. The facility serves both civilian flights and the Congolese army, which uses the runway for attack drones and fighter jets that regularly strike M23 militia positions and Rwandan forces more than 400 kilometres away.
While no group has claimed responsibility, local authorities accused the M23 rebel group and Kigali of orchestrating the attack. Explosions reportedly continued until 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, causing some residents to flee. “I couldn’t stand the explosions during the night,” said one witness, who relocated about 20 km from the airport.
The provincial government said Monday that the situation is under control, and residents near the airport were able to return home.
The attack comes amid resurgent M23 activity in eastern DRC, a region plagued by decades of violence and ongoing humanitarian crises. Since late 2021, the M23, reportedly backed by Rwanda, has seized key cities including Goma and Bukavu, and recently launched an offensive on Uvira, near the Burundi border, even as a US-brokered peace deal between DRC and Rwanda was being formalized.
