AFC/M23 has claimed that its forces destroyed a military drone command centre operated by the Congolese government at Kisangani airport, describing the strike as a defensive move aimed at stopping aerial attacks against civilians. In a statement issued on Tuesday, February 3, a spokesperson of the rebel group in eastern DR Congo said the operation was carried out between January 31 and February 1, targeting the key command hub used to plan, coordinate and execute drone operations. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 draws red line over air strikes out of Kisangani airport killing civilians According to AFC/M23, the facility played a central role in directing air strikes against civilian populations as well as the group’s positions in areas it controls, including parts of Masisi, Walikale, Rutshuru, Lubero, Kalehe, Mwenga and Minembwe. This comes day after both parties signed an agreement on a mandate to operationalise a ceasefire monitoring and verification mechanism in Doha, where they agreed on the next steps aimed at strengthening the effectiveness of the mechanism and ensuring the continuation of regular meetings within its framework. The rebels said the strike followed massacres of civilians in “liberated zones,” committed by government coalition. “The AFC/M23 will never stand idly by while innocent civilians are systematically targeted,” the rebels's political spokesperson Lawrance Kanyuka said. “If such a threat persists against the liberated territory, these instruments of death will be destroyed from their respective bases,” Bertrand Bisiimwa, AFC/M23 deputy coordinator said in a post on X on February 3. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 warns of “imminent genocide” against Banyamulenge civilians The claim comes amid rising tensions over the use of air power by the Congolese armed forces in eastern DR Congo. On Tuesday, AFC/M23 coordinator Corneille Nangaa declared “red line” over Kisangani airport, which he described as a rear base for projecting air strikes. ALSO READ: AFC/M23 delegation in Doha for new round of peace talks In a post on X, Nangaa accused the Congolese army and its allies, including the Kinshasa-backed FDLR militia, Burundian troops, foreign mercenaries and local militias, of conducting coordinated attacks against civilians in Minembwe and the Hauts Plateaux of South Kivu, supported by fighter jets and combat drones. He further alleged that the operations have been carried out under an internet blackout, which he said has isolated affected communities and concealed the scale of the humanitarian situation. The rebels, however, said they remain open to political talks, placing responsibility for any further escalation on Kinshasa. The rebel movement controls large parts of North and South Kivu provinces.
