(RTTNews) - At least five people were wounded when a UN helicopter came under fire from militants in northern Democratic Republic of Congo, said officials on Thursday.

The UN mission in Congo, known as MONUC, said that the helicopter came under fire when it was delivering supplies to peacekeepers recently deployed in the town of Dongo in Equateur province. It added that the injuries sustained by the peacekeepers were not serious.
Such attacks are not common in northern Congo, unlike the country's eastern regions, where Congolese security forces are engaged in a UN-backed offensive against local, Rwandan, and Ugandan rebels.

However, the region has witnessed ethnic clashes in the recent past. Last month, clashes between two tribes in Dongo over fishing rights left at least 100 people, including 47 policemen, dead. It is estimated that over 50,000 people have fled the region because of the ethnic clashes between the two tribes.

by RTT Staff Writer

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