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Eight UN peacekeepers killed as helicopter goes down in DRC

March 29, 2022

A Pakistani helicopter deployed as part of the UN's peacekeeping mission in the DRC has crashed with eight people on board. The Congolese army says rebels in the country's east shot the aircraft down.

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A file picture of a Pakistani helicopter deployed as part of the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC
MONUSCO said the helicopter disappeared in an area where rebels are staging an offensiveImage: Taimoor/MONUSCO

Rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have shot down a UN helicopter, the Congolese military said on Tuesday.

The helicopter came down in an area controlled by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, General Sylvain Ekenge, a spokesman for the military governor of North Kivu province, said in a statement.

Monusco said six crew members from the Pakistani military and two military personnel - one from Russia and one from Serbia were on board of the Puma helicopter when it went down. 

Pakistan's military said all eight were killed. They did not say what caused the crash. 

The UN's MONUSCO peacekeeping mission said the peacekeepers were on a  reconnaissance flight over Tshanzu, southeast of  Rutshuru in North Kivu Province.

Congolese army battles rebels on the offensive

The M23 rebels have gained ground in the Rutshuru area, near the border with Uganda and Rwanda.

Over the last few days, there has been heavy fighting between Congolese troops and the rebels in the area about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of North Kivu's provincial capital, Goma.

The Congolese army claimed that the rebels, backed by the Rwanda Defence Force, had "carried out incursions and attacked positions" since the weekend.

On Tuesday, the DRC said it had captured two Rwandan soldiers backing the M23. Rwanda has denied involvement in any violence.

Reporter - The Congo: Militias and Violence

The UN's Force Intervention Brigade, fighting alongside the Congolese army, defeated the M23 in 2013.

Since November, the group has resurfaced and been accused of staging several raids on military strongholds around Rutshuru.

Some 6,000 civilians flee to Uganda

The fresh clashes have forced about 6,000 civilians to flee from the DRC into neighboring Uganda

The refugees were in a transit camp in Bunagana, and more people were expected to arrive, Irene Nakasita, a spokeswoman for the Red Cross in Uganda said.

They were living in improvised shelters, in churches and schools, or with host families.

Uganda already hosts about 1.5 million refugees from South Sudan and the DRC.

lo/nm (Reuters, AFP, dpa)