M23 rebels were accused by the Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday of shooting down a UN helicopter that crashed in the country's east. The copter had eight persons on board.
"In the territory controlled by M23, the helicopter with eight peacekeepers crew members and United Nations Observers was shot down," said Brig. Gen. Sylvain Ekenge, the Congolese armed forces' deputy spokesman.
"The helicopter was shot down in the middle of a harmless operation to analyse population movements caused by M23 attacks in the region in preparation for humanitarian steps to be conducted," Ekenge told reporters.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's army confirmed in a statement that six of its commanders and soldiers were on board the UN peacekeeping helicopter and that all of them died.
In various peacekeeping missions, "Pakistan has always played a key role as a responsible member of the international community to help realise objectives of world peace and security," according to the statement.
Since 2011, the Pakistan Aviation Unit has been on peacekeeping duty in the UN Mission in Congo.
The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo stated earlier in the day that one of its helicopters on a reconnaissance mission in eastern Congo, in the Chanzu area, had lost touch.
On Sunday, fighting erupted between Congolese army and M23 rebels in North Kivu province after the rebels attacked military posts in Rutsuru territory's Tchanzu and Runyonyi regions. Rwandan soldiers, according to the Congolese military, are supporting the M23 fighters.
In a statement posted on Tuesday, Rwanda disputed the charges, calling them "baseless." 13,000 people were forced to evacuate to Uganda as a result of the conflict. According to local sources, M23 militants attempted to conquer the Ugandan border town of Bunagana on Tuesday.
In Nairobi, Kenya's capital, the M23 rebel group signed a peace accord with the Congolese government in 2013. The M23 leaders, on the other hand, have accused the administration of continuing to violate the deal.
According to the UN, the M23 rebels in North Kivu have resumed their activities in an alarming manner in the last three months, resulting in substantial fighting with the Congolese military.
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