UN link investigators said Wednesday they hadnot ruled out any avenue in a probe link intoa helicopter crash link in eastern DR Congolink that killed eight UNlink, although one lead was a”shining object” that may have caused the incident.
Six Pakistanis, a Russian and a Serb were killed when a Puma helicopterwith the UN link mission MONUSCO crashed whileon reconnaissance over the troubled region on Tuesday.
Military authorities in North Kivu province have accused the M23 rebelgroup of downing the chopper, though the faction denies the charge andinstead blames the Congolese army.
“The initial preliminary observations of our force headquarters describe acrash link that may have been caused bya shiningobject link,” Khassim Diagne, thedeputy special representative for protection and security at MONUSCO, toldthe French radio station RFI.
The mission’s deputy spokeswoman Ndeye Khady Lo confirmed this account.
“The wreckage of the helicopter has been located, an inquiry is underwayand should be able to ascertain more about the nature of this object,” shesaid.
The crash link seems to have an “external”cause, she said, but stressed it was “premature” to rule out an accident.
Diagne, in his remarks to RFI, said that investigators were not ruling outany scenario, including “an attack”.
*- UN link ‘deeply concerned’ -*
The bodies of the eight peacekeepers have been taken to Goma, North Kivu’scapital, MONUSCO said on Wednesday.
The helicopter came down in the Tchanzu area of Rutshuru Territory, wherethe army and the M23 rebels had been fighting the day before.
The M23 — its name derives from “March 23 Movement” — emerged years agofrom an ethnic Tutsi Congolese rebellion in North Kivu that was oncesupported by Rwanda and Uganda.
The group was defeated by the army in 2013 but has resurfaced sinceNovember, accused of staging several raids on military positions aroundRutshuru.
UN link spokesman Stephane Dujarric Wednesdaydid not blame the M23 group for the crashlink.
But he said UN link Secretary-General AntonioGuterres was “deeply concerned by the resurgence of M23 activities in theborder area between the DRC close to Rwanda and Uganda.”
The movement claims the authorities in the capital Kinshasa have failed torespect commitments undertaken to ease the demobilisation and integrationof its combatants.
Read Top Stories
The crash link came after the Congolese armyaccused Rwanda of backing the M23, charges Kigali denied on Tuesday.
After months of suspicion and decades of mistrust between DR Congolink and its neighbour Rwanda, theCongolese army claimed they had captured two Rwandan soldierslink on Monday in the area of thefighting.
Kigali strongly refuted any involvement, saying the men were captured morethan a month ago and were not part of its army.
*- ‘Still scared’ -*
The area was relatively calm on Wednesday morning, local sources told AFP.
The M23 still occupied the positions taken overnight Sunday to Monday,including Tchanzu and Runyoni, but withdrew from positions on the roadbetween Goma and the town of Bunagana near the Ugandan border.
Several residents who had fled their homes during the fighting had returnedto their villages on Wednesday.
“We came back to protect our belongings because thieves have been pillagingour homes,” said Jean-Paul Mazirane, from the village of Tchengerero.
“The M23 is nearby on a small hill. We’re still scared,” he added. “Butsome people have opened their shops so that people can buy salt, soap” andother essentials.
Jackson Gachuki, a community leader in the village of Jomba, said onWednesday evening: “The M23 rebels plundered everything before withdrawing.”
Honore Rindugu, the Congolese colonel in charge in Bunagana, said theclashes Tuesday saw three rebels killed, and around 15 Ugandan soldierslink with Congolese forces captured.
The Congolese and Ugandan armies are working together to fight the M23 inthe region, he said, as they have been further north against the AlliedDemocratic Forces rebel group.
Military authorities in Rutshuru Territory said two Congolese officers hadlost their lives in the fighting. -APP/AFP
