Rwanda Confirms Shooting DRC Fighter Jet

The Rwandan government says a Sukhoi-25 fighter jet from DR Congo on Tuesday, January 24, violated Rwanda’s airspace for the third time in a period of three months prompting Rwanda to take “defensive measures".

“Today at 17h03, a Sukhoi-25 from DR Congo violated Rwanda airspace for the third time,” a government statement released on Tuesday evening reads in part.

“Defensive measures were taken.”

It adds: “Rwanda asks DR Congo to stop this aggression.”

The brief statement came as videos and photos emerged on social media showing a Sukhoi-25 being shot at as it flew low and subsequently landed at Goma airport near the border while still on fire.

The fire was eventually extinguished but not without inflicting visible damage on the Soviet Union-made aircraft.

According to Kigali, the first of such incidents occurred on November 7, 2022, when a Sukhoi-25 warplane violated Rwanda’s airspace, briefly touching down at Rubavu airport in Western Province.

At the time, Congolese authorities reportedly acknowledged the violation.

The second incident is said to have happened on December 28 when a jet of the same type again violated Rwanda’s airspace.