Ugandan rebels fired on a United Nations (UN) helicopter in the troubled Beni region in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. According to UN sources there were no casualties.
Confirming about the incident French General Bernard Commins, deputy head of the U.N.’s Monusco peacekeeping force said the rebels hit at a UN helicopter in Semuliki valley prompting a legitimate defense.
He noted that the aircraft was able to land without problems though it had been hit.
The fire attack on the aircraft came in the eastern region of Beni, where last week eight U.N. peacekeepers and 12 DRC troops perished in a clash with Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) near Kididiwe after they launched a joint operation targeting the ADF.
The November 15 raid was the biggest loss by the large U.N. force in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the ADF killed 15 troops a year ago, in an attack also in the Semuliki area, near the Ugandan border
The ADF is a militia created by Muslim rebels’ group mainly made up of Ugandan members. It largely operates in the border area in the DRC’s North Kivu province. It is led by Jamil Mukulu, a Christian turned Muslim.
The group has been in eastern DRC since 1995 and is thought to have killed at least 700 civilians.
The rebel militia has been blamed for a recent string of attacks in the region.
