The M23 rebel group has denied shooting down a UN helicopter that crashed on Sunday while carrying peacekeepers on a reconnaissance mission in the north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The group accused the Congolese army of downing the helicopter while attacking their positions.
“That plane was hit by FARDC [DR Congo’s armed forces]’s shooting.” Major Willy Ngoma, the M23 spokesperson, told the BBC.
The DR Congo army had on Tuesday blamed the rebels for the crash.
Clashes between the rebels and the Congolese army have seen more than 6,000 civilians flee their homes in Rutshuru area of North Kivu province, according to the Red Cross.
