On Tuesday evening, a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) allegedly entered the airspace of Rwanda, leading to a retaliatory attack by Rwandan forces.

The Rwandan government confirmed the attack in a statement, stating that this was the third time the its airspace had been violated.

“Today, at 11:30 p.m., a Sukhoi-25 warplane from the DRC entered Rwanda’s airspace, this being the third time,” said the Rwandan government statement explaining that “protective measures were taken” by that “Rwanda wants the DRC to stop this kind of aggression.”

The DRC government has however, condemned the attack and stated that the plane was preparing to land in Goma and was not in Rwandan airspace. The DRC government also reported that another attack was launched by the Rwandan forces towards Kichanga earlier that day, which was pushed back by the DRC’s FARDC army.

A video circulating on social media shows a missile hitting the fighter jet from behind. The pilot of the plane however, managed to land at the airport of Goma, DRC with minimal damage.

According to the photos that have been verified by the Swahili Channel of the Voice of America VOA, in Goma, the plane is damaged to a very small extent, and it has holes indicating that it was shot several times.

Tensions Rwanda and DRC

Tensions between Rwanda and DRC have been high due to clashes between the March 23 (M23) rebel group and the DRC army, with the DRC accusing Rwanda of supporting the rebels, a claim which Rwanda denies.

Inaddition, the DRC also claims that the plane that was fired at was going to carry out attacks against the M23 rebel group.

Western countries and UN experts have agreed with the DRC that there is sufficient evidence that Rwanda supports the M23 rebels. Rwanda has completely denied the accusations and instead claims that the DRC is supporting the FDLR rebels who want to topple the Rwandan government.

The situation remains tense and it is unclear how the two countries will resolve their differences.

It is important to note that both sides have made accusations and counter-accusations regarding their actions and involvement in the ongoing conflicts.

It is important to consider the perspectives and statements of both sides before coming to any conclusions about the situation.

The DRC has stated that it will not continue to tolerate what it has described as the abuse of its neighbor Rwanda, despite being asked to follow the procedure to bring peace to the east of the country.

The DRC has also stated that it has the right to defend itself and protect its land with all its might. It remains to be seen how the situation will progress and what steps will be taken to deescalate tensions between the two countries.