After Kisangani Airport strike, Could Bujumbura be M23’s next target?
The AFC/M23 armed movement has claimed responsibility for a drone strike targeting Bangboka International Airport in Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo Province in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), two days after the incident occurred.
In a statement, AFC/M23 said the attack destroyed a command center allegedly used by the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) to coordinate drone operations. The announcement came only hours after the group’s president, Bertrand Bisimwa, warned that the movement would begin targeting locations used by Kinshasa’s forces to launch drone and Sukhoi fighter jet attacks against civilians in areas under AFC/M23 control, as well as against the group’s positions.
AFC/M23 has repeatedly accused the airports of Kisangani and Bujumbura in neighboring Burundi of being used to support aerial operations against civilians, particularly in Minembwe, South Kivu Province.
The Minembwe area has also seen a significant presence of Burundian troops, whom the movement accuses of committing abuses against Congolese Banyamulenge communities over several months.
Corneille Nangaa, AFC/M23’s coordinator, reinforced the group’s position in a message posted on the social media platform X. He said the strike on Kisangani airport marked a turning point in the conflict.
“The warning we issued regarding Kisangani airport has crossed the red line: the air superiority on which Tshisekedi’s strategy depended no longer exists,” Nangaa wrote. “From now on, any aerial asset deployed to harm civilians in liberated areas will be destroyed at its source.”
He added that what he described as “preventive self-defense measures” were now in effect, stating that “any threat will be neutralized at its point of origin.”
Although Nangaa did not directly mention Burundi, his statement suggested that Bujumbura International Airport could also become a target if it continues to be used in military operations against AFC/M23-controlled areas.
Despite these warnings, AFC/M23 has maintained that it does not seek conflict with Burundi, insisting that its dispute is solely with the government of the DRC. However, the group has repeatedly called on Burundi to withdraw its troops from Congolese territory and refrain from involvement in the conflict.
Burundi has not responded publicly to these demands. Reports indicate that clashes occurred last week near the Burundi–DRC border between Burundian forces and AFC/M23 fighters, resulting in casualties among Burundian troops.
Separate reports also claim that suspected M23 commandos carried out cross-border operations overnight along the Burundi–DRC frontier, allegedly abducting approximately 24 security personnel stationed there. These claims have not been independently verified.
