The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has admitted that its fighter jet flew over the Rwandan airspace on Monday – an act Kigali had earlier described as “unacceptable.” According to the government of Rwanda, the incident, which happened at around 11 a.m. on Monday, November 7, involved a Sukhoi-25 jet. A statement by the Rwanda government spokesperson said the jet “briefly touched down” at Rubavu Airport and “no military action was taken in response”. In a statement released on Monday evening, the Congolese government said the fighter jet flew over Rwanda “accidentally” and “as part of reconnaissance flights” by its army. “The Government of the Republic has learned that as part of the reconnaissance flights carried out by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), an unarmed Congolese aircraft of Sukhoi-25 type accidentally flew over the Republic of Rwanda's airspace, on the border of the two countries,” read a statement shared by the communication ministry. It added that “in the same way that it values its territorial integrity, the Democratic Republic of the Congo has never had an intention to violate that of its neighbours.” Tensions between the two countries have risen after the Congolese government expelled Rwandan ambassador, Vincent Karega, accusing Kigali of supporting the M23 rebel group fighting the FARDC in the east of the country. Rwanda denies the allegations, instead dismissing the collaboration between the FARDC and the FDLR, a Congo-based militia whose members are accused of genocide crimes in Rwanda.
