By Diyar Guldogan
WASHINGTON (AA) – A UN helicopter was attacked on Friday by the M23, one of the rebel groups fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, in the Karuba region in Nord-Kivu province, an official said.
The incident resulted in injuries to two South African peacekeepers, including one who was seriously wounded, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
The helicopter was able to land safely in Goma, and the peacekeepers are currently receiving medical attention, he added.
Stressing that Bintou Keita, head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) "strongly condemned" the attack against an aircraft bearing the UN emblem, Dujarric said: "We call that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes."
"The mission will spare no efforts in cooperation with the Congolese authorities to bring the perpetrators to justice," he added.
Separately, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations, said he was "appalled" by the attack on the MONUSCO helicopter.
"I wish a speedy recovery to our peacekeepers. They are #NotATarget," Lacroix said on X.