Allegra Vera
On March 29th of 2022, eight UN (United Nations) peacekeepers were victims of a tragic helicopter crash on the eastern side of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Six of the crew members were from Pakistan, two were military staff from Russia and Serbia. None of them survived.
The UN peacekeepers were on a reconnaissance mission, with the aim of gaining information about a potential enemy. According to Congo’s army, they were monitoring and evaluating communities that had been attacked, when the helicopter went down in the area of Tshanzu, a North Kivu province. The tragedy occurred in the same area where there had previously been confrontations between the army of Congo and the March 23 Movement (M23), a militant rebel group.
Based in eastern areas of Congo, these rebels were forced out of the DRC after several attacks in 2012 and 2013. According to the Ugandan Red Cross, about 6,000 civilians have fled from Congo to Uganda, a neighboring country, to escape their strikes. Due to their reputation, Congo’s armed forces (FARDC) alleged they were also responsible for shooting down the helicopter and consequently murdered the peacekeepers on board. M23 denied this statement, and instead, blamed the Congolese military. Nonetheless, the UN mission, known as MONUSCO, has not identified the actual cause of the crash and stated an investigation is under way.
A search and rescue operation recovered the bodies and brought them to Goma, North Kivu's capital, where both the UN and DRC paid tribute to the deceased. The memorial service took place Saturday, March 2nd. "It is essential that the circumstances of this tragedy should be thoroughly investigated and that responsibilities should be determined. Actions to strengthen our ability to carry out our tasks will undoubtedly continue," said Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, at the ceremony.
In conclusion, while it is not confirmed, it is highly possible that the M23 rebel group caused this catastrophe since they have a history of violence and attacks. With their historically controversial past, it’s no wonder people will point fingers at both sides until true evidence is presented. Either way, this tragedy has cost eight lives and I hope the investigation will help prevent future accidents and bring closure to the victims’ families.
Bibliography:
“8 Dead after United Nations Helicopter Shot down by Rebels in Congo.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/un-helicopter-shot-down-rebels-8-dead-congo/
Al Jazeera. “Eight Killed as UN Helicopter Crashes in Eastern DRC.” News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 30 Mar. 2022, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/30/dr-congo-8-un-peacekeepers-killed-in-helicopter-crash#:~:text=Eight%20people%20have%20been%20killed,rebels%20and%20the%20Congolese%20army.
Petesch, Carley. “UN Helicopter Carrying 8 Shot down by Rebels in Congo's East.” ABC News, ABC News Network, https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/helicopter-carrying-shot-rebels-congos-east-83743448
“UN Pays Tribute to Eight Peacekeepers in DRC Helicopter Crash.” Xinhua, http://www.news.cn/english/20220403/d484217f6eb2466785e4f2499045885f/c.html
Wires, News. “Un Helicopter Crashes in DR Congo, Killing Eight Peacekeepers Aboard.” France 24, France 24, 29 Mar. 2022, https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20220329-un-helicopter-with-eight-aboard-crashes-in-democratic-republic-of-congo
Yeung, Jessie. “8 UN Peacekeepers Killed in Congo Helicopter Crash.” CNN, Cable News Network, 30 Mar. 2022, https://edition.cnn.com/2022/03/29/africa/congo-un-helicopter-crash-intl-hnk/index.html