In the early hours of Saturday, February 17, 2024, a drone attack occurred at the Goma International Airport in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to Lieutenant-Colonel Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko, the spokesperson for the Congolese armed forces in the region, drones believed to originate from Rwanda targeted the airport premises. This statement was made in a video posted on the social media platform X, the attack did not target military aircraft but instead caused damage to civilian airplanes.
Le porte parole des #FARDC @GuillaumeNdjike a déclaré que les drones venus du #Rwanda ont attaqué l’aéroport de #Goma dans la nuit de vendredi à samedi #M23_RDF pic.twitter.com/UbxmmTIPN0
— The Rwandan (@therwandaeditor) February 17, 2024
Further details emerged from Marc Hoogsteyns, a Belgian journalist known for his close ties to the Rwandan intelligence services and sometimes criticized for being a propagandist for Kigali. Hoogsteyns shared on his X account that the attack involved two 81 mm mortars attached to commercial drones, which were dropped on the airport. Among the damaged aircraft was a Sukhoi plane, which sustained notable damage to its fuel tank.
Update Goma:
Last night two mortars 81 mm that were strapped to commercial drones were dropped on Goma airport. One Sukhoi was damaged at its reservoir. Several sources confirm this and we are following up. This was a precision strike.— #marchoogsteyns (@MarcHoogsteyns) February 17, 2024
