The armed forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has reported that two Russian pilots died at the hands of the rebels. The corresponding statement quoted by La Voix de l’amérique.
In the words of General of the army of the DRC Leon Musale, two Mi-24 helicopter crashed during a patrol flyby in North Kivu due to the difficult weather conditions. At the crash site found the bodies of three people — one of the Congolese military and the two pilots — Russian citizens.
According to some, they fell into the hands of rebels from the militant group M23 (the”March 23 Movement”) and was killed after being tortured. Another Russian is allegedly held captive by the rebels. Near the scene of the disaster, UN peacekeepers found five people injured — three of them citizens of Russia. They are all taken to the hospital.
While RIA Novosti, citing the Russian Embassy in Kinshasa denies this information. According to diplomats, the Russians among the crew and passengers of the crashed helicopter was not.
The Belarusian and Georgian media reported that the helicopter crew consisted of citizens of Belarus and Georgia. The helicopter is under control of the Belarusian crew crashed, Georgian pilots landed on an emergency landing. According to available information, the affected pilots were hospitalized.
Group “March 23 Movement” represents the interests of ethnic minorities, the Tutsis and operates in the East of the country. It got its name from the date of the peace talks in 2009, when the Tutsi rebels were legalized and became part of the army. They soon again revolted, and then to the suppression of their rebellion was joined by the UN troops. At the moment, with the group signed a peace agreement, but the Congolese military says some troops M23 are still operating in the border areas, where they are supported by the governments of Rwanda and Uganda.