Crash of a Monusco helicopter in the DRC: the FRADC and the M23 accuse each other
A Monusco helicopter (illustrative image).
RFI/Sonia Rolley
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Eight blue helmets died on Tuesday March 29 in the crash of a helicopter belonging to Monusco, the UN Mission in the DRC.
The aircraft crashed in the east of the country, in an area where intense fighting has been going on for several days between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 rebels.
Both sides accuse each other of shooting down the aircraft.
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With the war on the ground comes a war of words.
For the Congolese Armed Forces, it was the M23 that shot down the helicopter, while according to Kinshasa, the aircraft was carrying out a harmless reconnaissance mission to assess the movements of populations caused by the fighting.
The rebels, themselves, denied, speaking
of “confusing allegations
” to create a “
diversion
”.
Because indeed, according to the M23, it was on the contrary the Congolese soldiers who shot down the helicopter.
While the FARDC pounded the hill of Tchanzu, a Monusco device was hit by mortar fire from the Rumangabo military camp, according to the armed movement.
In any event,
six Pakistani Air Force soldiers and two military observers, a Russian and a Serb, died
.
Their bodies were repatriated to Goma, pending a return to their countries.
The United Nations mission has opened a joint investigation with the Congo since we are on its territory.
For now, MONUSCO remains cautious.
She simply states that the origin of the incident is currently unknown.
Nevertheless, Khassim Diagne, the deputy special representative, speaks
of “a crash caused by a luminous object
”.
He says no more, even if this information makes one think of a rocket.
Khassim Diagne also adds not to exclude “
the track of an attack against the helicopter
”.
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