An attack on their helicopter took place in the eastern Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo on Sunday, leaving a UN peacekeeper from South Africa dead and another hurt.
The aircraft came under fire at around 3:00 pm (1200 GMT) during a flight to Goma, the provincial capital of Nord-Kivu province, according to AFP.
"A crew member was fatally shot, another suffered injuries but managed to continue flying the chopper and landed safely at Goma Airport,” the statement read.
Amadou Ba, a spokesman for the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO), revealed that the fire that struck the helicopter was not yet known and its precise location had yet to be determined.
"An Oryx helicopter came under fire in Goma, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Sunday 5 February 2023," the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) said in a statement.
"The SANDF is in the process of informing family members of the soldiers who were involved in this unfortunate incident."
MONUSCO chief Bintou Keita said she "strongly condemns this cowardly attack on an aircraft bearing the UN emblem", adding that "attacks against peacekeepers can constitute a war crime".
On 29 March 2022, eight UN peacekeepers were killed when their helicopter crashed over a combat zone between the Congolese army and M23 rebels.
Follow the latest news on Google News
