Rwanda says Congo fighter jet violated its airspace

A Sukhoi-25 fighter jet from DR Congo on Tuesday, January 24, violated Rwanda’s airspace – the third time such an incident occurred in three months – forcing Rwanda to take “defensive measures,” Kigali said.

“The RDF (Rwanda Defence Force) fired at the fighter jet from DRC that violated Rwandan airspace in Rubavu – same area as previous violations,” Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement.

Rwanda’s government said on Tuesday that a fighter jet from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had violated its airspace, prompting its defense force to fire in response.

“Defensive measures were taken.”

It adds: “Rwanda asks DR Congo to stop this aggression.”

A video shared widely on Congolese and Rwandan social media showed a projectile shooting toward an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly.

The first warning !

The fire was eventually extinguished but not without inflicting visible damage on the Soviet Union-made aircraft.

The incident is the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency.

Makolo said the jet violated its airspace at 5:03 pm local time, prompting the government to take defensive measures against it. “Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression,” she said.

DR Congo fighter jet violates Rwanda airspace for third time.

The first of such incidents occurred on November 7, 2022, when a Sukhoi-25 warplane violated Rwanda’s airspace, briefly touching down at Rubavu airport in Western Province. At the time, Congolese authorities acknowledged the violation.

A second incident happened on December 28 when a jet of the same type again violated Rwanda’s airspace.