Senegalese Air Force Mil Mi-35 Helicopter Performing United Nations Peacekeepers Mission Crash In Central African Republic
Three Senegalese crew were killed and a fourth was injured during crash, the UN force said on Friday
“It is with immense sorrow that I have learned of the crash of a Senegalese combat helicopter as it was landing at Bouar, leading to three deaths and one injured,” the head of the MINUSCA mission, Mankeur Ndiaye, said on Twitter.
C’est avec une peine immense que j’ai appris le crash d’un hélicoptère de combat sénégalais avec 3 morts et un blessé au moment de son atterrissage à Bouar. Mes condoléances émues aux familles et mon souhait de prompt rétablissement au blessé #Minusca
— Mankeur Ndiaye (@ndiayemankeur) September 27, 2019
The crash of the Russian-made helicopter was confirmed by the Senegalese army in a statement.
It was “returning from an operational mission” for MINUSCA when the accident occurred, it said.
MINUSCA has more than 12,000 uniformed personnel trying to restore stability to the country, where mainly Muslim Selaka rebels overthrew the president in 2013, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militia.
On Thursday, MINUSCA carried out an attack on an armed group called 3R at Koui, in the northwest of the country, several officials in the UN force told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Separately, the rebel group said late Thursday that its bases had been bombarded by UN forces.
The 3R had been challenged by MINUSCA the day before to hand over those responsible for the killing of 46 civilians in the Paoua region in northern CAR in May.
Only three individuals have so far been turned over to the authorities.
One of the world’s poorest and most unstable nations, CAR has suffered several violent crises since 2003 when former president Francois Bozize seized power in a coup.
The country spiraled into bloodshed after Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by the Seleka alliance.
Since then, fighting has forced nearly a quarter of the country’s 4.5 million people to flee their homes and rival militia groups control most of the country.
