French Troops Seen in Kisangani, Final Destination Unknown

Men in French Army uniform have been seen at Kisangani Bangoka International airport triggering speculation that they could be destined for action against the AFC/M23 in Kivu provinces.

“Tshisekedi has just deployed a large number of French military personnel to Kisangani to protect the city. This Sunday, February 15, French soldiers were clearly spotted in the city, alongside the FARDC. They arrived just a few days after the AFC/M23 forces neutralized the air base at Bangboka International Airport,” a source in Kisangani said.

About two weeks ago, Bangoka International airport came under drone strikes an attack the AFC/M23 rebels claimed responsibility for.

The Congolese government described the attack as a “barbaric, unjust, and persistent aggression.”

Corneille Nangaa the coordinator of AFC/M23 alliance said the attack was a warning to the Kinshasa government and a sign that the army can no longer consider the airport a safe logistical base.

The airport is located about 17 kilometers from the center of Kisangani and approximately 700 kilometers from the main front lines in North and South Kivu.

The arrival of French troops comes at a time the AFC/M23 rebels have been ordered by the US government to withdraw from Uvira.

According to the French publication Africa Intelligence, there are several foreign military elements on the front lines alongside Congolese soldiers, providing intelligence and artillery support.

President Emmanuel Macron Wants Goma Airport Reopened

The French government has consistently demanded that the AFC/M23 rebels reopen Goma international Airport. The rebels took control of the Provincial capital in February last year.

In response to calls for reopening the airport, the rebels described the demand as “untimely,” warning France to act with caution in its decisions.

Rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka, in a statement, said, “France is urged to act with caution in its conduct, decisions, and positions, so as not to inadvertently revive memories of its difficult and tragic past among the people of the Great Lakes region.”

Macron in his view, the airport should be reopened for humanitarian flights, along with secure corridors for aid delivery.

The rebels argued, “there is no longer any humanitarian emergency” in the areas under their control, “since all displaced persons have returned to their places of origin.”