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BREAKING: Bomb Rocks DR Congo Airport
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
A bomb struck the airport in the restive eastern DR Congo city of Goma early Saturday as fighting flared between rebels and government forces, security and government sources told AFP.
Clashes have intensified in recent days around the strategic town of Sake, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Goma, between the M23 rebel group – which Kinshasa says is backed by neighbouring Rwanda – and Congolese government forces.
“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.
An AFP correspondent and Goma residents reported hearing two loud explosions.
The UN Security Council voiced concern this week at “escalating violence” in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, condemning an offensive launched by the mostly-Tutsi M23 rebels near Goma.
The DRC, the UN and Western countries say Rwanda is supporting the rebels in a bid to control vast mineral resources, an allegation Kigali denies.
The rebels have conquered vast swathes of North Kivu in the last two years.
The latest fight has pushed tens of thousands of civilians to flee towards Goma, which stands between Lake Kivu and the Rwandan border and is practically cut off from the country’s interior.
According to a confidential UN document seen by AFP earlier this week, the Rwandan army is using sophisticated weapons such as surface-to-air missiles to support M23.
A “suspected Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) mobile surface-to-air missile (SAM)” was fired at a UN observation drone last Wednesday without hitting it, the report said.
UN forces have been in DRC for nearly 25 years, but stand accused of failing to protect civilians from armed groups.
The UN Security Council voted in December to accede to Kinshasa’s demand for a pullout despite the volatile situation.
With multiple diplomatic efforts failing to quell the violence in the Congo, African leaders meeting for a summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa discussed the DRC situation on the sidelines late Friday and were due to convene again on Saturday.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has officially been sworn in for a seventh consecutive term after securing victory in the country’s disputed January elections, extending his nearly four-decade rule.
Tight security was observed across Kampala ahead of the inauguration ceremony, with armoured vehicles and security operatives deployed around key areas. Authorities said the measures were put in place to maintain order during the event.
Museveni, 81, was declared winner of the presidential election with more than 70 percent of the vote and is expected to remain in office until 2031. His main challenger, Bobi Wine, rejected the outcome, alleging widespread electoral malpractice including ballot stuffing. Electoral officials denied the accusations and maintained that the poll was credible.
Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi Ssentamu, later fled Uganda, claiming he feared for his safety and accusing the government of targeting opposition figures.
Museveni first took power in 1986 after leading a rebel movement and has since remained one of Africa’s longest-serving leaders. Analysts believe this latest term could potentially be his last, although he has not publicly indicated any plans to step down.
Attention has also turned to Museveni’s son, Muhoozi Kainerugaba, who is widely seen as a possible successor. However, the military chief has faced criticism over controversial social media posts directed at opposition politicians.
At least 100 civilians were killed in a Nigerian military airstrike on a crowded market in Tumfa, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, northwest Nigeria, Amnesty International said on Tuesday.
The strike hit the remote market on Sunday, May 10, 2026, with many victims reportedly being women and girls.
This is now the second deadly airstrike on a crowded market in northern Nigeria within the past one month, following a similar incident in April that reportedly killed more than 100 people.
Amnesty International has called on Nigerian authorities to immediately open an independent and thorough investigation into the incident.
Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Jordan on defence cooperation and intelligence sharing.
According to the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, the agreement was signed in Amman, Jordan, during a meeting with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Jordanian Armed Forces, Major General Yousef A. Alhnaity.
Matawalle said that the partnership is aimed at strengthening collaboration between both countries in tackling evolving security threats, especially crimes and attacks that are asymmetric and cross-border in nature.
He added that the agreement reflects the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to promoting peace, security, and stability across the country through strategic
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