( auto-translated ) re posted from RFI
They would affect the fighting-flight areas of North Kivu province between the Congolese army and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
DRC: Kinshasa accuses Rwanda and M23 of aviation safety interference
The Congolese government accuses Rwanda of conducting “interference attacks” in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo in order to harm aviation safety. According to Kinshasa, a technical investigation revealed the responsibility of the Rwandan army and M23 for such interference. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has announced that it is protesting with the International Civil Aviation Organization.
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A view of Goma airport, the main one in the North Kivu region, where there is concern about interference with the GPS system. View of the airport in 2021 (photo by illustration). Justin Kabumba / AP
The Democratic Republic of the directly involves Rwanda and M23, which is active in North Kivu, in jamming operations in eastern Congolese territory. “These acts seriously undermine the safety of civil air transport” and “endanger essential humanitarian missions” according to Kinshasa, which claims to have observed dangerous interference in the GPS systems of aircraft.
According to the DRC, these disturbances are caused by jamming but also by digital identity usurpations, by means of false IP addresses. They would affect the fighting-flight areas of North Kivu province between the Congolese army and Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
The airspace affected would extend from Goma to Beni, including Butembo, Kanyabayonga and Kibumba. For the Ministry of Media and Congolese Communication, these acts “are comparable to the use of weapons of war against civilian targets” and illustrate “the proven disregard of international law and the protection of civilian life”. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has referred the matter to the International Civil Aviation Organization for sanctions against Rwanda.
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