Security Forces Foil Drone Attack on Key DRC Airport Amid Escalating Conflict
Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo successfully intercepted a drone attack on the strategic Bangboka International Airport in Kisangani on Sunday, the second such incident targeting the facility in a month. Provincial authorities in Tshopo province attributed the assault to the M23 armed group, which is widely reported to receive support from neighbouring Rwanda.
According to officials, four “kamikaze drones loaded with submunitions” were launched against the airport across four separate intervals beginning in the mid-afternoon. The final drone approached as a civilian aircraft from Compagnie Africaine d’Aviation was preparing to land. All unmanned aerial vehicles were reportedly shot down by defence systems, and no casualties or damage were reported.
Bangboka Airport serves both civilian traffic and critical military operations. The Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) utilise the runway to launch attack drones and fighter jets in campaigns against M23 positions and, reportedly, against Rwandan army installations in eastern DRC. This dual-use nature makes the airport a high-value target in the conflict.
The M23, which dramatically resurfaced in late 2021, has since seized extensive territory in Congo’s mineral-rich eastern provinces. The group previously claimed responsibility for an attack on the same airport between January 31 and February 1, stating it destroyed a military drone command centre.
The incident underscores the intensifying and increasingly sophisticated nature of the conflict in eastern DRC, where both government forces and the M23 regularly employ drone technology. Each side frequently accuses the other of conducting strikes in or near populated areas, risking civilian harm. This pattern was evident days ago when the M23 claimed a Congolese army drone strike killed its military spokesman.
The thwarted attack on Bangboka Airport highlights the vulnerability of key infrastructure and the expansion of drone warfare into the country’s interior, far from the traditional conflict zones in provinces like North Kivu. The persistent targeting of the airport disrupts both civilian air connectivity and the military’s logistics chain. As diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis face repeated challenges, the use of such tactics points to a protracted and technologically evolving confrontation with significant implications for regional stability.
