On Monday, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo made serious allegations against M23 rebels and the Rwandan forces supporting them, claiming they have been sending out false navigation signals that interfere with air traffic in the country's eastern region of North Kivu. This area has seen intense fighting between Congolese forces and the Tutsi-led M23 rebels, who have been engaging in a resurgence of insurgency activities since 2022, prompting increased military responses.

Congo's authorities, alongside organizations such as the United Nations and various Western governments, have consistently claimed that Rwanda is backing the M23 group, a charge that Rwanda has strongly refuted, exacerbating tensions between the two nations. Following an investigation, the Congolese government reported that it had traced the source of the disruptive GPS signal emissions to the Rwandan Defense Force and the M23.

The Congolese government expressed grave concerns that these actions pose significant risks to civil aviation, impacting various flights including those for humanitarian efforts and U.N. peacekeeping missions in the region. While details on the overall impact on air traffic were not disclosed, the government has reached out to the International Civil Aviation Organization for potential sanctions against those responsible.

The ongoing conflict in North Kivu has forced over 1.7 million people to flee their homes, bringing the total number of displaced individuals in the Congo due to various conflicts to a staggering 7.2 million, according to U.N. estimates.