The Rwandan military shot at a fighter jet of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) on Tuesday which had “violated Rwanda’s airspace.”
Witnesses in DR Congo’s town of Goma said they saw a plane flying low over the DR Congo-Rwanda western border from the town of Kitshanga in Congo’s Masisi territory before it was hit.
The aircraft managed to land at Goma airport near the border with Rwanda with a fire burning on its right wing, witnesses said, adding a fire-fighting truck intervened on the runway to prevent the plane from fully catching fire.
Congolese military sources said the Sukhoi-25 aircraft, after spotting the attack, triggered its missile defense system to neutralize the shelling.
A brief statement issued by the office of the Rwandan government spokesperson said the fighter jet from DR Congo had violated the country’s airspace.
“Today, Jan. 24 at 5:03 p.m., a Sukhoi-25 from Congo violated Rwanda’s airspace for the third time. Defensive measures were taken,” it said.
“Rwanda calls on the DRC to stop this aggression.”
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