DRC accuses Rwanda of jamming its aviation system

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has accused Rwanda and the M23 rebels of jamming its aviation system in the war-troubled province of North Kivu. 

Last week, air transport between Goma International airport in Goma city and Butembo Rughenda airport in Butembo territory faced challenges after planes failed to land after losing contact with the radars. There were reports that the M23 had hacked into the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the province to stop assaults on their ground positions by government soldiers using fighter jets.   

Planes depend on multifaceted navigation systems to guide pilots and to warn of possible danger during a flight. The reports continued until Monday night when the DRC Communication and Media ministry released a statement confirming the crisis.  

In a statement signed by government spokesperson, Patrick Katembwe Muyaya, the DRC government admits that the safety of civil air transport in the North Kivu region is under compromise through jamming attacks. Muyaya says that rebels carried out spoofing (sending false GPS) signals to disrupt air traffic. 

The jamming attacks pose a significant risk to all flights in the region according to the government statement.

“Dangerous interference is being observed in the global positioning systems (GPS) of aircraft. These disruptions, caused by jamming and spoofing attacks, are affecting the flight zones of North Kivu province around Goma, including Beni, Butembo, Kibumba, and Kanyabayonga”, reads the statement.   

Muyaya says that the compromise is also posing a significant risk to commercial airlines. He expressed fear that the crisis could pose a negative impact on humanitarian missions in the region.   

Based on a technical investigation carried out by the competent services and corroborated by reports from United Nations, Muyaya claims that these jammings are the work of the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) and its allies, the AFC/M23 terrorists.   

The conflict between M23 and Congolese government started in March 2022, led by Bisimwa and Makenga. M23/AFC controls large areas in Rutshuru, Masisi, Nyiragongo, and Lubero territories. The DRC government has repeatedly accused Rwanda of supporting M23, a claim that both Rwanda and M23 deny. 

The rebels argue that their fight is against corruption, xenophobia, and discrimination within the DR Congo’s leadership. As the humanitarian truce requested by the United States comes to an end this week on August 2, heavy fighting between M23 rebels and an armed group “Alliance of Congolese Nationalists for the Defense of Human Rights (ANCDH) headed by Jean-Marie Bonane was reported on Monday in Ngoliba village, between the towns of Nyange and Bibwe, Bashali Mokoto Groupement, Masisi territory. 

M23 rebels, while coming from Mpati, launched attacks against ANCDH fighters. But, M23 rebels were pushed back.