Rebel Leader Says Group Behind Drone Strike in Northeast Congo
Last update: February 4, 2026
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AFC M23 chief says strike was a warning to the government as authorities report all drones were intercepted.
The leader of the AFC M23 rebel movement in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed responsibility for a drone attack targeting the airport in the strategic northeastern city of Kisangani, describing the operation as a warning to the government.
Tshopo province authorities, where Kisangani is located, said on Sunday that eight explosive laden drones were launched toward the airport serving the city.
All of the drones were shot down before reaching their target, according to the provincial government.
The airport is located about 17 kilometres from central Kisangani and lies hundreds of kilometres from the front lines in North and South Kivu provinces.
AFC M23 has seized large areas of territory there since 2022, including the key cities of Goma and Bukavu during a rapid offensive last year.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, rebel leader Corneille Nangaa said the operation demonstrated that the air superiority of Congo’s armed forces had been broken.
He warned that any aircraft used against rebel held areas would now be targeted at their source.
He said the use of Kisangani as a base for launching attacks against rebel territories was no longer acceptable and declared that the city’s status as a rear base was over.
The statement came a day after Congo’s government and AFC M23, meeting in Doha under Qatari mediation, agreed on the deployment of the first United Nations team mandated to monitor a ceasefire.
Nangaa also accused the Congolese army and allied militias of intensifying attacks in the highlands of South Kivu since January 22.
He claimed Sukhoi fighter jets and combat drones had been used against civilians in Minembwe and surrounding areas.
In a separate message posted on X on Tuesday, senior AFC M23 political figure Bertrand Bisimwa warned that if Congolese military aircraft continued to operate over what the rebels describe as liberated territory, they would be destroyed at their bases.
