Voice of America
25 Jan 2023, 07:05 GMT+10
Kigali, Rwanda - Rwanda's government said on Tuesday that a fighter jet from Democratic Republic of Congo had violated its airspace, prompting its defense force to fire in response.
A video shared widely on Congolese social media showed a projectile shooting toward an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly. Reuters could not immediately verify the video.
The incident is the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency.
Congo, United Nations experts and Western powers have accused Rwanda of backing the M23 rebel group in eastern Congo, which seized several towns and villages in offensives last year. Rwanda has denied any involvement.
Regional leaders brokered an agreement in November under which the Tutsi-led group was meant to withdraw from recently seized positions by January 15 as part of efforts to end a conflict that has displaced at least 450,000 people.
Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi said last week that the rebels had not fully withdrawn from those areas.
'The RDF (Rwanda Defense Force) fired at the fighter jet from DRC that violated Rwandan airspace in Rubavu - same area as previous violations,' Rwandan government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement.
Makolo said the jet violated its airspace at 5:03 p.m. local time, prompting the government to take defensive measures against it. 'Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression,' she said.
When asked for comment, the Congolese government said it was preparing a statement.
In December, Rwanda said another fighter jet from Congo had briefly violated its air space.
An unarmed Congolese warplane also briefly landed at a Rwandan airport in November while on a reconnaissance mission near the border, in what Congo said was an accident.
Get a daily dose of Sierra Leone Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Sierra Leone Times.
More InformationNEW YORK, New York - Economic data indicating jobs growth could be slowing saw equity markets regain some composure Wednesday ...
CANBERRA, Australia: Defense Minister Richard Marles told Nine Network television on September 29 that after a crash in July that ...
AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands: This week, Dutch competition regulator, the ACM, rejected an appeal by Apple against fines worth €50 million. ...
TOKYO, Japan: Tokyo-based startup Tsubame Industries has developed a four-wheeled robot that resembles the "Mobile Suit Gundam" from the popular ...
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - According to The News, the federal government is considering selling its stake in the Reko Diq project ...
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - U.S. stocks tumbled on Tuesday as interest rates on 10 and 30-year Treasury yields approached ...
TRIPOLI, Libya: Italy and Libya resumed commercial flights for the first time in ten years on September 30, with flight ...
DUBAI, 4th October, 2023 (WAM) - In the presence of more than 1000 industry leaders and changemakers from across 30 ...
The Somali government on Wednesday said government troops have killed hundreds of militants during military operations in the last two ...
ABUJA, NIGERIA - Nigerian authorities are investigating the deaths of at least 15 people in the explosion of an illegally ...
Crude flows on average were roughly 3.3 million barrels a day for the past four weeks, tanker-tracking data showsRussian seaborne ...
(Photo credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports) The Sanderson Farms Championship is the second of seven events in the FedEx Cup ...