UN helicopter “shot down” in South Sudan: UN spokesman

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The UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has confirmed that UN helicopter which crashed in South Sudan last month killing three Russian crewmen was “shot down.”

The mission said “experts who concluded the first stage of their investigation yesterday have uncovered evidence on the circumstances of the crash of a UN Mi-8 helicopter on August 26, indicating that the aircraft was shot down,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters at a daily briefing held Tuesday.

The helicopter, which was on a routine cargo flight from Wau in Western Bahr El Ghazal state to Bentiu, crashed on Aug. 26 about 10 kilometers south of Bentiu in Unity State, killing three Russian crewmen and severely injuring a fourth.

For the past two weeks, the mission has been conducting preliminary investigations into the crash. In addition to the mission’s own probe, which began right after the crash, a technical investigation has also started with the participation of the United Nations, South Sudanese and Russian experts.

The mission has also confirmed that, during a phone call with a staff member in Bentiu on Aug.17, Peter Gadet, the commander of opposition forces in Unity State, alleged that UNMISS aircraft were being used to transport Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) troops and threatened to shoot it down, Dujarric said.

The staff member refuted the accusations and to ensure the safety of its aircraft, UNMISS immediately started sharing information on all its flights into Bentiu with the opposition forces as well as the SPLA.