Facts

• The Rwanda Defense Force on Tuesday shot at a Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) fighter jet in response to an alleged airspace breach in the Rwandan [district of] Rubavu, marking the latest dispute between the two countries whose relations have been strained by the M23 rebel insurgency.^[1]
• An unverified video shared widely on Congolese social media showed a projectile exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly. The DRC confirmed that the plane arrived in the provincial capital Goma without sustaining significant damage.^[2]
• Congolese authorities claimed that the aircraft was flying within its territory and deemed Rwanda's move a "deliberate act of aggression that amounts to an act of war" aimed at spoiling a peace agreement to halt an M23 rebel offensive.^[2]
• This is the third time that Rwanda has reported that a DRC military plane violated its airspace in the past three months, including a brief landing at the Rubavu airport in the first incident. The DRC has denied "any aggression intention" in all incidents.^[3]
• This comes after the UN-backed Radio Okapi reported that Congolese Pres. Félix Tshisekedi called off a meeting with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to discuss the conflict in the DRC's mineral-rich east, which was set to take place in Qatar last Monday.^[4]
• Tensions between the DRC and Rwanda have been mounting since the M23 rebels reemerged in eastern Congo a year ago after a decade dormant, with Kinshasa accusing its neighboring country of assisting the group. Kigali repeatedly denied any involvement.^[5]