In the early hours of Saturday, a bomb targeted the airport in Goma, a restive city in eastern DR Congo, as clashes intensified between rebels and government forces, according to information from security and government sources provided to media.
Tensions have heightened in recent days near the strategic town of Sake, located approximately 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Goma.
The conflict involves the M23 rebel group, which the Kinshasa government claims is supported by neighboring Rwanda, and Congolese government forces.
“Yes, it’s true, Goma airport was hit by a bomb last night,” a source in the governorate of North Kivu province said, asking not to be named.
A security source mentioned “two bombs” at the Goma facility, the capital of North Kivu with a population of one million, assuring that they “caused no damage.”
The source added that experts were on site to determine the origin of the bombs.
Two loud explosions were reported by a media correspondent and Goma residents.
This week, the UN Security Council expressed concern over the “escalating violence” in eastern DR Congo, condemning an offensive launched by the predominantly Tutsi M23 rebels near Goma.
Allegations persist that Rwanda is supporting the rebels to control valuable mineral resources, a claim strongly denied by Kigali. The M23 rebels have gained control over significant portions of North Kivu in the past two years.
As a result of the recent conflict, tens of thousands of civilians have fled towards Goma, located between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border, and virtually isolated from the country’s interior.
A confidential UN document revealed that the Rwandan army allegedly deployed sophisticated weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, to support the M23. The report mentioned a “suspected Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM)” fired at a UN observation drone last Wednesday, narrowly missing it.
Despite nearly 25 years of UN forces’ presence in DRC, they face accusations of failing to protect civilians from armed groups. In December, the UN Security Council approved Kinshasa’s request for a withdrawal, ignoring the volatile situation.
With diplomatic efforts proving ineffective in quelling violence, African leaders, meeting in Addis Ababa for a summit, discussed the DRC situation on the sidelines on Friday and were set to convene again on Saturday.
