Rebel Group Targets Kisangani Airport in Escalation of Congo Conflict

West Africa WeeklyFebruary 6, 20261 Mins read18

A rebel coalition in the Democratic Republic of Congo has claimed responsibility for a drone attack on the strategic northeastern city of Kisangani, marking a significant escalation in the country’s protracted conflict.

The Alliance Fleuve Congo and its armed wing, the M23 rebel movement, said it carried out an attack targeting the airport serving Kisangani. Rebel leader Corneille Nangaa described the strike as a warning to the government in Kinshasa and a sign that the army could no longer rely on the city as a safe rear base.

Authorities in Tshopo province said eight explosive-laden drones targeted Bangoka International Airport over the weekend. According to officials, all of them were shot down before reaching their target, and no casualties were reported.

The airport lies about 17 kilometres from central Kisangani and hundreds of kilometres from the main front lines in North and South Kivu. The rebel coalition has captured extensive territories in those eastern provinces since 2022, including key cities such as Goma and Bukavu during a rapid offensive last year.

If confirmed as an M23 operation, the strike would represent one of the group’s furthest attacks westward, well beyond the areas where it has traditionally operated. Kisangani has become an important forward base for the Congolese military, which uses the airport to launch jets and drones in operations against rebel positions in the east.

The Congolese authorities and several international actors, including United Nations experts, have long accused neighbouring Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels, an allegation Kigali denies.

The latest attack comes even as diplomatic efforts intensify. The United Nations is preparing to deploy a ceasefire monitoring mission while separate talks involving regional and international mediators continue, but fighting has persisted on the ground.

For many observers, the drone strike on Kisangani shows how the conflict is evolving. What was once primarily a ground war in eastern provinces is now reaching deeper into the country, raising fears that the fighting could spread and further destabilise the region.