Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo — The Alliance Fleuve Congo/M23 rebel coalition said it carried out a strike on a military drone command center in the central Congolese city of Kisangani, escalating tensions in a conflict that has increasingly spilled beyond eastern battlefields.
In a statement dated Feb. 3, the AFC — which includes the March 23 Movement (M23) — said the operation took place between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and targeted a command facility at Kisangani Airport that it described as “the primary hub for the planning, coordination, and execution of deadly operations targeting civilian populations.”
“This centre served as the primary hub for the planning, coordination, and execution of deadly operations targeting civilian populations as well as AFC/M23 positions in the liberated areas,” the group said, listing Masisi, Walikale, Rutshuru, Lubero, Kalehe, Mwenga and Minembwe among affected territories.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Congolese authorities had not issued an immediate response.
Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, lies more than 700 kilometers west of the main M23 front lines in North Kivu, underscoring the geographic reach of the conflict and the growing use of drones and long-range capabilities.
The rebel coalition said the strike followed “numerous repeated and well-documented denunciations of massacres of civilians” in areas it controls, alleging that appeals to the government in Kinshasa were ignored.
“Regrettably, these alerts were met with deafening, culpable indifference,” the statement said.
The renewed claims of long-range strikes and the explicit warning to Kinshasa are likely to complicate diplomatic efforts underway to stabilize eastern Congo, where ceasefire agreements have repeatedly collapsed and accusations between the government, rebels and neighboring states continue to harden positions.
The AFC warned that it would continue to act if attacks on civilians persist.
“The AFC/M23 solemnly reiterates that it will never stand idly by while innocent civilians are systematically targeted,” it said, adding that it would “take action to neutralise these threats at their source.”
In unusually direct language, the group framed the operation as a political ultimatum to President Félix Tshisekedi’s government. “The Kinshasa regime must make an unequivocal choice between peace and war,” the statement said.
“If it chooses peace, it must strictly respect the ceasefire. If it chooses war, it will bear full responsibility and all the consequences that may result.”
The rebels also rejected any suggestion that the strike was the work of external actors, saying the operation was conducted by AFC/M23 forces and that the government was “fully aware of the military equipment it abandoned at the airports of Goma and Kavumu.”
The statement added that “the use of drones and mercenaries is neither exclusive to nor the sole prerogative of Kinshasa.”
The announcement comes amid heightened international scrutiny of the conflict, which has displaced millions and drawn in regional actors, with the United Nations and Western governments repeatedly warning of escalating risks to civilians and regional stability.
In the statement, signed in Goma by AFC spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the group issued an appeal to foreign governments and multilateral institutions.
“The AFC/M23 issues an urgent appeal to the international community to act without delay to put an end to the barbarity of the Kinshasa regime and to end impunity for crimes committed against civilians,” it said.
Despite its militant posture, the coalition said it remained committed to negotiations.
“Finally, the AFC/M23 reaffirms its unwavering and sincere commitment to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict,” the statement said.
In a statement dated Feb. 3, the AFC — which includes the March 23 Movement (M23) — said the operation took place between Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 and targeted a command facility at Kisangani Airport that it described as “the primary hub for the planning, coordination, and execution of deadly operations targeting civilian populations.”
“This centre served as the primary hub for the planning, coordination, and execution of deadly operations targeting civilian populations as well as AFC/M23 positions in the liberated areas,” the group said, listing Masisi, Walikale, Rutshuru, Lubero, Kalehe, Mwenga and Minembwe among affected territories.
The claims could not be independently verified, and Congolese authorities had not issued an immediate response.
Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, lies more than 700 kilometers west of the main M23 front lines in North Kivu, underscoring the geographic reach of the conflict and the growing use of drones and long-range capabilities.
The rebel coalition said the strike followed “numerous repeated and well-documented denunciations of massacres of civilians” in areas it controls, alleging that appeals to the government in Kinshasa were ignored.
“Regrettably, these alerts were met with deafening, culpable indifference,” the statement said.
The renewed claims of long-range strikes and the explicit warning to Kinshasa are likely to complicate diplomatic efforts underway to stabilize eastern Congo, where ceasefire agreements have repeatedly collapsed and accusations between the government, rebels and neighboring states continue to harden positions.
The AFC warned that it would continue to act if attacks on civilians persist.
“The AFC/M23 solemnly reiterates that it will never stand idly by while innocent civilians are systematically targeted,” it said, adding that it would “take action to neutralise these threats at their source.”
In unusually direct language, the group framed the operation as a political ultimatum to President Félix Tshisekedi’s government. “The Kinshasa regime must make an unequivocal choice between peace and war,” the statement said.
“If it chooses peace, it must strictly respect the ceasefire. If it chooses war, it will bear full responsibility and all the consequences that may result.”
The rebels also rejected any suggestion that the strike was the work of external actors, saying the operation was conducted by AFC/M23 forces and that the government was “fully aware of the military equipment it abandoned at the airports of Goma and Kavumu.”
The statement added that “the use of drones and mercenaries is neither exclusive to nor the sole prerogative of Kinshasa.”
The announcement comes amid heightened international scrutiny of the conflict, which has displaced millions and drawn in regional actors, with the United Nations and Western governments repeatedly warning of escalating risks to civilians and regional stability.
In the statement, signed in Goma by AFC spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, the group issued an appeal to foreign governments and multilateral institutions.
“The AFC/M23 issues an urgent appeal to the international community to act without delay to put an end to the barbarity of the Kinshasa regime and to end impunity for crimes committed against civilians,” it said.
Despite its militant posture, the coalition said it remained committed to negotiations.
“Finally, the AFC/M23 reaffirms its unwavering and sincere commitment to a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict,” the statement said.