Faith Nyasuguta
Eight peacekeepers died in a Tuesday helicopter crash in North Kivu, a location in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
According to the United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Congo (Monusco), initial findings reveal that “the crash was caused by a luminous object“.
The UN mission is, however, not ruling out the possibility of an attack.
The crash took place amid military clashes between the Congolese army (Fardc) and the M23 rebels in four localities in North Kivu.
Both the army and the rebels are blaming each other for the helicopter attack.
General Sylvain Ekenge, the mouthpiece for the military governor of North Kivu, said the Monusco peacekeepers were on a mission to assess the displacement of civilians following the clashes in the area.
At the moment, fighting appears to be worsening in North Kivu, particularly in Tchanzu, Runyonyi, Ndiza and Tchengero.
In the nation’s capital Kinshasa, over 1,500 kilometres away, the Prime Minister held a security meeting to “take the necessary measures to deal with the M23 incursions”.
“The FARDC are working to restore peace,” a statement by Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde said.
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