DR Congo: One crew killed, another injured after MONUSCO helicopter attacked in violence-hit North Kivu

GOMA (DR Congo)— One crew member was killed and another injured when a helicopter of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) came under attack, MONUSCO confirmed.

The MONUSCO chopper, which took off from Beni Sunday afternoon, was bound for Goma, in the northeastern province of North Kivu. It managed to land in Goma, the MONUSCO said on social media.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The North Kivu province, long plagued by insecurity and violence, has been an epicenter of intensive fighting for months between government troops and local armed groups.

A UN peacekeeping mission of around 18,200 personnel has been deployed in eastern Congo since taking over from a previous UN operation in 2010. Its mandate includes supporting the Congolese government’s effort to stabilize a region racked by rebel violence.

Eight peacekeepers were killed last year when their helicopter crashed in a part of North Kivu province, where the Congolese army was fighting a rebel group known as the M23.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK