On February 2, one of the helicopters of the United Nations (UN) Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) was attacked by armed men.
A MONUSCO statement said a helicopter was fired upon while carrying out a medical evacuation mission in Karuba, Masisi region. The attack injured two peacekeepers and the helicopter landed in Goma to provide medical treatment to the injured.
The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, strongly condemned the attack, stressing that the recent escalation of attacks against civilians in North Kivu was unacceptable. Keita called on M23 to cease hostilities and unconditionally disarm.
M23 forces and DR Congolese soldiers have recently intensified fighting in an area about 10 kilometers from Goma, the capital of North Kivu province. This is an area with several M23-held locations. On February 2, two artillery shells hit a primary school and several houses in Mugunga, a district on the outskirts of Goma, killing one person and injuring two others.