Rwandan forces have been reported to have opened fire at a fighter jet from Democratic Republic of Congo.
According to Rwanda the fighter jet had violated its airspace, prompting the Congolese government to accuse it of an act of war.
A video shared widely on Congolese social media showed a projectile shooting towards an airborne military plane, before exploding in the air near the plane, which continued to fly..
“The Rwandan shots were directed towards a Congolese aircraft flying within Congolese territory,” it said in a statement, confirming the plane had landed in the provincial capital Goma without suffering major damage.
It described Rwanda’s move as a “deliberate act of aggression that amounts to an act of war” aimed at undermining a peace agreement to end an offensive by the M23 rebel group.
Earlier the Rwandan government said Rwandan forces had fired at the jet after it violated Rwandan airspace in Rubavu – the same area as previous alleged violations, “prompting the government to take defensive measures.”
“Rwanda asks the DRC to stop this aggression,” government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said in a statement.
Congo denied Rwanda’s accusation that the jet had been in Rwandan airspace – the latest dispute between the two countries whose relationship has been strained by a rebel insurgency