The Congo River Alliance (AFC) and M23 rebels have claimed responsibility for a drone attack carried out over the weekend on Kisangani airport in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
In a statement released overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday, rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the AFC/M23 coalition was behind what he described as the destruction of a military command centre at Kisangani Bangoka International Airport.
Provincial authorities in Tshopo said on Monday that eight kamikaze drones targeting the airport had been intercepted and shot down before reaching their objective. The local government accused Rwanda and the AFC/M23 rebels of orchestrating the attack.
The rebel coalition said the airport, located about 17 kilometres from central Kisangani, served as a key hub for military operations against rebel positions and civilians in areas under their control.
“The use of Kisangani as a platform for projecting terror against our territories is now prohibited. The sanctuary of this rear base is over,” AFC leader Corneille Nangaa said in a statement on Tuesday night.
Nangaa described the operation as a warning signal, claiming it marked the end of the Congolese army’s air superiority.
The drone attack comes roughly a year after M23 rebels captured the strategic eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025.
