Allegedly The Langgar Air Area, The Rwanda Troops Shooting A Military Jet Congo

Illustration of the Rwandan military. (Wikimedia Commons/USAF/SSgt Ryan Crane)

JAKARTA - Rwandan forces opened fire on a fighter jet from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) which it said violated its airspace on Tuesday, prompting the Congo government to accuse it of war action.

A video widely shared on Congo's social media showed a projectile fired at a cross-air military aircraft, before exploding in the air near the plane that continued to fly.

Congo has denied Rwanda's accusations that the jet was in the airspace of Rwanda, the latest dispute between the two countries whose relations are strained by the uprising.

"The Rwandan fire was directed at a Congoe plane flying within the Congo region," he said in a statement, confirming that the plane landed in the provincial capital of Goma without being heavily damaged.

This describes Rwanda' move as "deliberate acts of aggression, an act of war" aimed at breaking the peace treaty, in order to end the attack by the M23 rebel group.

Earlier, the Rwandan Government said its troops had opened fire on Kong jets after violating Rwanda' airspace in RubAVu, the same area as previous alleged abuses, "encouraged the government to take defensive action."

"Rwanda asked the DRC to stop this aggression," government spokesman Yolande Makolo said in a statement.

Congo, a UN expert and Western powers accuse Rwanda of supporting the M23 in eastern Congo, which seized several cities and villages in a new battle last year. However, Rwanda denies being involved.

Meanwhile, regional leaders brokered a deal in November, in which Tutsi-led groups were meant to step down from positions recently seized on January 15, as part of efforts to end fighting that has displaced at least 450,000 people.

Congo President Felix Tshisekedi last week said the rebels had not been fully withdrawn from the area.

In December, Rwanda said another fighter jet from Congo had violated its airspace.

An unarmed Congon warship also briefly landed at Rwanda airport in November while conducting reconnaissance missions near the border, which Congo says was an accident.