Key Points

Chris Magezi, a Ugandan military spokesperson, said in a statement issued late Monday that the International Committee of the Red Cross had contracted the Ocean Heights Aviation Training Centre in Uganda to evacuate its humanitarian staff caught in the conflict in South Kivu province in eastern DRC.

As the aircraft, a Cessna Caravan flying from Uganda's Entebbe International Airport to Kavumu Airport in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, approached its destination on Thursday, it came under attack, Magezi said.

"They (the pilots) flew there but landed when the security situation had dramatically changed. Reports suggest that one person on the aircraft was shot and succumbed to the injuries. The government of Uganda, through relevant diplomatic channels, is following up on this matter," Magezi said.

"The Uganda Peoples' Defence Forces are not involved in this at all, but we are concerned that our fellow citizens have been harmed. We will do everything necessary if we are asked to provide any assistance," he added.

The plane was piloted by a Ugandan and a South Sudanese national, Xinhua news agency reported.

In February, the March 23 Movement (M23) armed group seized control of Kavumu Airport, located about 30 km from Bukavu city. The airport serves as a crucial hub for humanitarian and military flights.

The ongoing crisis in South Kivu and North Kivu provinces in eastern DRC has led to mass displacement, increased instability, and heightened diplomatic tensions between the DRC and Rwanda.

Diplomatic and military efforts are underway to restore stability in the DRC.

Earlier on March 30, military leaders from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) had called on local armed groups operating in the volatile eastern DRC to surrender and join the DRC government's disarmament programme.

- IANS