DRC Forces Accused Of Shooting Down Aid Plane In Minembwe

Minembwe, August 27, 2026 - Armed actors accused DRC government forces of shooting down a civilian plane carrying medicine and food as it landed in the Bikuba area of Minembwe, escalating tensions days after a joint verification mission visited the commune.

Colonel Fidele Rugabo of the MRDP-Twirwaneho group in control of Minembwe said the aircraft was hit by ground fire during landing. AFC/M23 spokesman Lawrence Kanyuka said DRC, Burundian, Wazalendo, FDLR and foreign mercenary forces had launched attacks on Point-Zero, Nyaruhinga and Mukoko from early morning, using combat drones and heavy weapons.

The incident followed the deployment of the Joint International Monitoring Mission to assess the impact of earlier attacks. Fighting also spread to Walungu and Masisi territories, according to AFC/M23.

For Rwanda, violence in Minembwe remains a central regional flashpoint because the area sits at the intersection of identity politics, cross-border armed-group activity and the wider DRC peace process.