By Justin Kabumba, GOMA DR Congo
A United Nations helicopter came under heavy fire in eastern Congo, bringing the organization to suspend flights in the conflict-riddled region, the U.N. said Monday.
A helicopter returning from
Walikale to the regional capital, Goma in North Kivu province, came under
attack for 10 minutes last week but was able to land safely in Goma with all
three crew and 10 passengers unharmed, said a statement by the U.N.’s World
Food Program.
Flights have been suspended on
specific routes in the region until the security situation can be reassessed,
said the U.N. The helicopter delivers assistance to some of Congo’s most remote
areas which would otherwise be inaccessible because of poor roads or
insecurity.
No group has claimed
responsibility for the attack, but this is the second time this month that a
U.N. helicopter came under fire in North Kivu province. The previous incident
was a helicopter with the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo, known
as MONUSCO, and killed a South African peacekeeper and injured another. The
United Nations Security Council said the deliberate targeting of peacekeepers
could constitute war crimes.
Fighting in eastern Congo has
been simmering for decades as more than 120 groups fight for power, land and
valuable mineral resources — while others try to defend their communities. The
violence spiked in late 2021 when M23 rebels, which had been largely dormant
for nearly a decade, resurfaced and started capturing territory.
The fighting has internally
displaced more than 5 million people, threatening many civilians with
starvation, according to several aid groups.
“For armed groups seeking to
force civilians under their control, firing at aircraft may prove an easy way
to suspend aid deliveries and influence food supplies into an area,” said
Benjamin Hunter, Africa analyst at Verisk Maplecroft, a risk intelligence firm.
- AP
No comments:
Post a Comment