Kisangani airport drone incident highlights widening conflict reach

Calm returned to Bangboka International Airport outside Kisangani after the Congolese army said it intercepted four drones launched toward the site an episode that underlines how the conflict’s tactics are increasingly pressuring strategic transport hubs well beyond front-line areas.

In a statement relayed by provincial authorities and cited by 7SUR7.CD, Tshopo governor Paulin Lendongolia Lebabonga said the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo shot down four “kamikaze” drones loaded with submunitions on Sunday, March 1, during active civilian airport operations.

He said the attacks began early in the morning and that the devices were intercepted in the afternoon using an “advanced air defense system.”

The governor listed four interception times 3:48pm, 5:30pm, 7:30pm and 7:48pm and said the final shootdown occurred as a civilian aircraft had begun its landing approach around 7:45pm, heightening concern about the safety of civilian air traffic.

He praised the “professionalism” of FARDC and its partners, and urged residents in nearby Yebela Vision and Filimbi neighbourhoods to remain calm and vigilant, saying airport activity was continuing normally.

While provincial authorities attributed the attack to AFC/M23 and accused Rwanda of backing the rebels, the report presents those claims as the governor’s account rather than independently verified findings.

The incident also fits a recent pattern around the same airport. In early February, local and national reporting described earlier drone activity near Bangboka, including an episode in which authorities said multiple devices were neutralised.

For Kisangani an important logistics and administrative hub repeated drone-related incidents raise broader questions about how conflict dynamics may impact civilian infrastructure, transport links, and public confidence in the security of vital corridors.

Source:  7SUR7.CD