A helicopter of the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo has been shot down in the east of the country by M23 rebels. The plane had at least eight people on board, the Congolese army said in a statement today.
The UN mission, known as MONUSCO, reported earlier today that contact with the helicopter had been lost in an area where rebels are currently conducting an offensive.
The group M23, which was expelled from the Congo after an uprising in 2012 and 2013, yesterday attacked two army posts near the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. The fighting is still going on today.
The United Nations helicopter was shot down in a rebel-controlled area while on a mission to monitor the movements of the civilian population, the Congolese army said in the statement. The military is currently searching for the helicopter and any survivors.
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