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DR Congo federal government states M23 rebels, Rwanda disrupting regional air traffic

Democratic Republic of Congo's federal government on Monday implicated M23 rebels and Rwandan forces backing them of sending out false navigation signals to disrupt air traffic over the country's eastern North Kivu province, where Congo's army is locked in fighting with the M23.

The Tutsi-led M23 have been waging a fresh revolt in the huge main African nation's militia-plagued east since 2022. Military efforts to push them back have actually magnified over the past year with using drones and aircraft.

Congo authorities, the United Nations, the United States and other Western governments have actually accused Rwanda of backing the group. Rwanda emphatically denies the accusations that have heavily soured relations with its neighbour.

In a declaration on Monday, the Congolese government stated it had actually investigated the emission of false Worldwide Positioning System ( GPS) signals that were interrupting regional air traffic.

Detectives traced the spoofing back to the Rwanda Defense Force (RDF) and the M23.

These acts seriously jeopardize the security of civil air transport, it stated, adding that it likewise undermined humanitarian missions supporting countless people displaced by the dispute.

The government did not information the scale of the impact on air traffic, which includes regional traveler, humanitarian, military and U.N. peacekeeping flights over North Kivu.

It stated it had actually connected to the regional branch of the International Civil Aviation Organization to request suitable sanctions.

The RDF, the M23 and the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo MONUSCO did not right away respond to ask for remark.

Battling in North Kivu has driven more than 1.7 million people from their homes, taking the total variety of Congolese displaced by numerous conflicts to a record 7.2 million, according to U.N. quotes.

(source: Reuters)