Rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have shot down a UN helicopter, the Congolese military said on Tuesday.
The helicopter came down in an area controlled by the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels, General Sylvain Ekenge, a spokesman for the military governor of North Kivu province, said in a statement.
However, M23 released the statement on Tuesday citing FARDC were responsible for shooting down the UN plane.
Monusco said six crew members from the Pakistani military and two military personnel – one from Russia and one from Serbia were on board of the Puma helicopter when it went down.
Pakistan’s military said all eight were killed. They did not say what caused the crash.
The UN’s MONUSCO peacekeeping mission said the peacekeepers were on a reconnaissance flight over Tshanzu, southeast of Rutshuru in North Kivu Province.
The M23 rebels have gained ground in the Rutshuru area, near the border with Uganda and Rwanda.
Over the last few days, there has been heavy fighting between Congolese troops and the rebels in the area about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of North Kivu’s provincial capital, Goma.
The Congolese army claimed that the rebels, backed by the Rwanda Defence Force, had “carried out incursions and attacked positions” since the weekend.
On Tuesday, the DRC said it had captured two Rwandan soldiers backing the M23. Rwanda has denied involvement in any violence (REUTERS).
