The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday accused M23 rebels and Rwandan forces of sending false navigation signals to disrupt air traffic over the eastern North Kivu province.
This region has been a battleground where Congo’s army is engaged in intense fighting with the M23.
The Tutsi-led M23 has been waging a new insurgency in the militia-plagued east of the central African country since 2022. Over the past year, military efforts to push them back have intensified, utilizing drones and aircraft.
Congo authorities, along with the United Nations, the United States, and other Western governments, have accused Rwanda of backing the group. Rwanda has vehemently denied these accusations, which have significantly strained relations with its neighbor.
In a statement on Monday, the Congolese government reported that it had investigated the emission of false Global Positioning System (GPS) signals that were disrupting local air traffic. Investigators traced the spoofing back to the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) and the M23.
“These acts severely compromise the security of civil air transport,” the statement said, adding that it also undermined humanitarian missions supporting thousands of people displaced by the conflict.
The government did not detail the scale of the impact on air traffic, which includes local passenger, humanitarian, military, and U.N. peacekeeping flights over North Kivu. It has reached out to the regional branch of the International Civil Aviation Organization to request appropriate sanctions.
The RDF, the M23, and the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUSCO) did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Fighting in North Kivu has driven more than 1.7 million people from their homes, bringing the total number of Congolese displaced by multiple conflicts to a record 7.2 million, according to U.N. estimates. The ongoing conflict continues to exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in the region, highlighting the urgent need for a resolution.
