Incident Overview
Description
During fighting between rebel forces and government troops in D.R. Congo, civilian aircraft were commandeered and the pilots forced to ferry troops and supplies in the planes. In each incident the plane was seized in Goma. In the August 2 incident Congolese rebels seized a Boeing 727 aircraft owned by Kinshasha-based Blue Airlines. Two days later, rebels commandeered a Congo Air Cargo Boeing 707 aircraft and forced the pilot to fly soldiers to the Kitona military air base in the western part of the country. A third plane, belonging to Air Atlantic Cargo and chartered to Lina Congo (LAC), was also seized and forced to fly to Kitona after stopping to refuel and pick up ammunition in Kinshasha. There were also reports of private planes and transport aircraft being seized.
Primary Cause
Armed conflict and the seizure of civilian aircraft by rebel forces.Armed conflict and the seizure of civilian aircraft by rebel forces.Share on:
