Congo, Rwanda accuse each other of fresh cross-border rocket strikes

Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda accused each other of firing rockets across their shared border

Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda accused each other of firing rockets across their shared border on Friday, including a strike that killed two Congolese children, Qazet.az reports according to  a spokesperson for the Congolese army.

The alleged attacks are part of an escalating dispute between the Central African neighbours linked to a fresh offensive by the M23 rebel group that Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting.

The spokesman for the Congolese Army in the eastern North Kivu province said troops had been battling M23 rebels in a mountain area close to the border with Rwanda and Uganda, when five rockets fired from Rwanda landed in Congolese territory away from the area of fighting.

"We recorded two children killed and one seriously wounded and also a school which was thoroughly damaged," spokesperson Guillaume Ndjike Kaiko said.

Reuters could not independently verify the report. The Rwandan authorities did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Rwandan Defence Ministry meanwhile accused Congolese forces of firing two 122mm calibre rockets into Rwanda from the Bunagana area, where they were fighting M23 rebels.