DRC, Rwanda Accuses Each Other Of Firing Rockets Across Shared Border

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda have both accused each other of firing rockets across their shared border, reported Reuters.

On Friday, Guillaume Ndijike Kaiko, the Congolese army spokesperson, said two children were killed, one got seriously wounded and a school also got thoroughly damaged in a recent air strike by the Rwandan forces.

The spokesperson said that the incident took place as Congolese troops battled M23 rebels in a mountain area close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda when five rockets fired from Rwanda landed in Congolese territory.

On the other hand, the Rwandan Defence Ministry also accused the DRC forces of firing two 122mm calibre rockets into Rwanda from the Bunagana area, where Congolese force were battling M23 rebels.

“There were no casualties but the local population is terrified,” the defence ministry said in a statement.

The DRC army spokesperson Kaiko denied that Congolese forces had used rockets of that calibre in the area.

Tensions between the two countries have been on the rise as Kinshasa accuses its neighbour of backing M23 rebels, which have been waging its most sustained offensive in Congo’s eastern borderlands since capturing vast swathes of territory in 2012-2013.

On Wednesday, the DRC military officials accused Rwanda of deploying hundreds of Special Forces troops in disguise into the country’s territory.

“Rwanda has changed the uniform of its soldiers to conceal its presence in Congolese territory alongside the terrorists of M23,” said Congolese army spokesperson in eastern North Kivu province, General Sylvain Ekenge.

 The military alleged that 500 Rwandan soldiers had been deployed in the Tshanzu area in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda.

On Sunday, the DRC President Felix Tshisekedi also accused Rwanda of backing M23 rebels, who have been involved in a series of clashes with the army since the end of May.