Attack on SANDF helicopter ‘a war crime under international law’

United Nations secretary-general António Guterres has “strongly condemned” the attack on the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) aircraft in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In a statement released on Monday, Guterres expressed his deepest condolences “to the family of the fallen peacekeeper”.

SANDF in DRC

A ‘war crime’

Guterres called on Congolese authorities “to investigate this heinous attack and swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.

He said “attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime under international law”.

The condemnation comes after an Oryx helicopter was shot down in the North Kivu province; in which a surviving crew member wounded by gun fire safely landed the chopper at Goma Airport.

The source of the attack was not yet known to authorities. Amadou Ba, the spokesperson for MONUSCO, said “the precise location” of the attack had yet to be determined.

Thousands at risk in DRC

Bruno Lemarquis, Humanitarian Coordinator in the DRC said thousands of people were “helpless witnesses to the violence” in the North Kivu province.

“The recent violence reminds us, once again, of the importance of protecting the civilians and civilian infrastructure, in accordance with international humanitarian law”, Lemarquis said.

He said continued threats significantly restrict “both the ability of the civilian population to escape violence, as well as the ability of humanitarian organisations to access people” living in conflict areas.

“I, therefore, call on all parties to the conflict to spare the affected population the suffering caused by the violence, and call on them to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law by allowing the population to move around safely safe and unrestricted until calm returns to Kitshanga.”

MONUSCO mission

MONUSCO supports mobile courts to increase access to justice in remote areas and regularly trains police, corrections officers, and members of the judiciary to strengthen the rule of law.

As part of the MONUSCO mission, more than 18 200 personnel have been deployed to eastern DRC since 2010, with the mandate of supporting the local government to stabilise the region.

Eight members of the mission had been killed by a rebel group known as M23 in 2022 when their aircraft crashed in North Kivu.

SANDF’s statement

On Sunday, SANDF confirmed one crew member was fatally shot while others suffered injuries but managed to continue flying the chopper.

SANDF head of communication Siphiwe Dlamini said the defence force was “in the process of informing family members of the soldiers who were involved in this unfortunate incident”.

According to United Nations, the aircraft – which was part of the mission called MONUSCO – came under fire while travelling from Beni to Goma, North Kivu province.

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Compiled by Cheryl Kahla