Crisis in eastern Congo : a blue helmet killed and another seriously injured in an attack against a Monusco plane
The Monusco (Mission of the United Nations organization in the DRC) announced the death of its blue helmet in a press release. It informs that he died following an attack of one of its helicopters in North Kivu. Another blue helmet was seriously injured. INFO SOS Médias Burundi
The Monusco deplores the death of a blue helmet following an attack of one of its helicopters in North Kivu, the UN mission in Congo announced on Sunday evening.
“A Monusco helicopter which took off from Beni this Sunday at the beginning of the afternoon bound for Goma came under fire which led to the death of one of the crew members and seriously injured another blue helmet. The aircraft nevertheless managed to land at Goma airport”, the UN mission said in its statement.
Without revealing his nationality, the Monusco said, “It expresses its most sincere condolences to the family and to the country of origin of the deceased blue helmet and to wish a speedy recovery to the injured”.
The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in the DRC condemned the attack. Bintou Keita speaks of a “cowardly” attack against an aircraft carrying the emblem of the United Nations.
Even if the most decried UN mission does not specify the country of origin of the blue helmet killed on February 5, 2023, the NBC American channel announced that he belonged to the South African contingent.
“Attacks against blue helmets can constitute a war crime”, recalled Bintou Keita who affirms that “perpetrators of this heinous act must be brought to justice”.
The attack on the Monusco plane took place in the Rusayo groupment, in the territory of Nyiragongo. It is two kilometers north of Goma, capital of the province of North Kivu in eastern Congo.
“The area is controlled by FARDC (Congolese Army) but several FDLR members are hiding there”, local sources say.
The incident comes 24 hours after the holding of an extraordinary summit of heads of state of the East African Community on the security situation in eastern Congo, a meeting which took place on Saturday February 4, in the commercial city of Burundi, Bujumbura.
EAC leaders again demanded an end to violence and called for an immediate ceasefire.
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