Rwanda accuses DRC jet of violating airspace after talks to resolve conflict

The Rwandan government said a Congolese army fighter jet violated its airspace on Monday (7 November), just 48 hours after a deal to defuse rising tensions between the two countries.
A joint statement released late on Saturday (5 November) following talks between officials from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda said both sides would “maintain the political dialogue between the authorities of the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Rwanda as a means of resolving the political crisis between the two brotherly countries.“ The discussions, held in Angola and mediated by Angolan President João Lourenco, came amid worsening tensions caused by violence carried out by the M23 rebel group in Congo’s east which has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes in an area that has had little respite from conflict for decades. The DRC expelled the Rwandan ambassador in Kinshasa on 29 October and recalled its chargé d’affaires in Kigali.
But on Monday, the Rwandan government said in a statement that a “Sukhoi-25 fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of Congo violated Rwandan airspace at 11:20 am (local, 8:30 am GMT) this morning and landed briefly at Rubavu airport in Western province“. “No military action was taken by Rwanda in response, and the plane returned to the DRC. The Rwandan authorities protested against this provocation to the DRC government, which acknowledged the incident,” the text added. DRC has long accused Rwanda of backing the Tutsi-led group, which has attacked the Congolese army near the Rwandan border since 2012. Rwanda denies this.