Bomb hits Eastern DR Congo airport

Goma, a restive city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, saw a bombing early on Saturday as combat broke out between rebels and government forces, according to government and security officials who spoke to AFP.

The M23 rebel group, which Kinshasa claims is supported by neighbouring Rwanda, and Congolese government forces have been engaged in more violent clashes in the past few days near Sake, a strategically important town located roughly 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Goma.

“Yes, it’s true, Goma airport was hit by a bomb last night,” a source in the governorate of North Kivu province said, asking not to be named.

A security source spoke of “two bombs” at the facility in Goma, the North Kivu capital and home to one million people, adding that they “caused no damage”.

“Two experts are on site to check where the bombs were fired from,” the source said.

Residents of Goma and an AFP correspondent claimed to have heard two huge explosions.

This week, the UN Security Council denounced an offensive launched by the primarily Tutsi M23 rebels near Goma and expressed concern about the "escalating violence" in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Rwanda is accused by the DRC, the UN, and Western nations of arming rebels in order to gain control of abundant mineral resources; Kigali refutes this claim.

In the previous two years, the rebels have taken control of large portions of North Kivu.

Source