Congo rebel leader claims responsibility for drone attack on strategic northeast city

Feb 3 (Reuters) – The leader of the AFC/M23 rebel movement in Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday claimed responsibility on social media for a drone attack targeting the airport in the strategic northeastern city of Kisangani.

The government of Tshopo province, where Kisangani is located, said in a statement on Sunday that eight explosive‑laden drones had targeted the airport serving Kisangani.

The airport lies about 17 km from central Kisangani, hundreds of kilometres from the front lines in North and South Kivu provinces, where AFC/M23 has seized large swathes of territory since 2022, capturing the key cities of Goma and Bukavu in a lightning offensive last year.

In a post on X, Corneille Nangaa, who leads the AFC, said the attack demonstrated that Congo’s military no longer had air superiority.

“The use of Kisangani as a platform for projecting terror against our territories is now prohibited. The sanctuary of this rear base is over,” he said.

Congo’s military has not responded to requests for comment on the attacks.

(Reporting by Clement Bonnerot and Congo newsroom; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior and Robbie Corey-Boulet)