DR Congo Army Accused of Bombing Humanitarian Aid Plane

The AFC-M23 movement has condemned the bombing of a civilian aircraft carrying humanitarian aid and essential supplies to Minembwe, South Kivu, on August 27. ALSO READ : AFC/M23: DR Congo bombed aid plane after signing peace deal In a statement issued on Wednesday, September 2, the AFC/M23 spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said the aircraft was bombed at about 8:10 a.m. while delivering assistance to civilians in the area that has suffered attack for over a year. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn The movement blamed the incident on the coalition of forces aligned with the Congolese army (FARDC), Burundian forces, the Kinshasa-backed FDLR genocidal militia, Wazalendo militias, foreign mercenaries and other local armed groups. ALSO READ : DR Congo: Lawyers prepare ICC cases over atrocities in Minembwe Kanyuka condemned the "terrorist act against a humanitarian mission whose purpose was to provide urgent assistance to civilian populations facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis." The AFC/M23 also linked the incident to another aircraft which was destroyed in Minembwe on June 30 while carrying medicines for a local hospital, as well as a similar incident in Walikale in 2025. "Such acts are deliberately aimed at discouraging humanitarian organisations and partners from assisting vulnerable civilian populations," Kanyuka said. ALSO READ : Scorched earth: FARDC shoots down humanitarian aircraft on Independence Day The AFC-M23 called on the relevant actors and mediators involved in efforts to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in DR Congo to take note of the incidents. Kanyuka also condemned Kinshasa's failure to neutralise FDLR, and its "deliberate choice to impose large scale war on the Congolese people." ALSO READ : AFC/M23 leader Corneille Nangaa states four reasons why his movement is fighting Tshisekedi govt He reiterated AFC/M23's commitment to protecting civilians without discrimination, and said it is determined to establish an appropriate security perimeter to prevent and respond to further threats. Read the original article on New Times . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.