Uganda Airlines has announced the suspension of its flights to Kinshasa with immediate effect.
The suspension has become necessary as a result of the ongoing fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including the Capital Kinshasa.
“Flights will remain suspended until the situation warrants normal operations,” Uganda Airlines says in a statement dated January 28, 2025.
Fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has seen new areas taken over by M23 rebels, encircling and taking control of parts of Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, this week.
The Rwanda-backed militias are now clashing with pockets of resistance made up of Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) soldiers and pro-government Wazalendo militiamen.
Four more South African soldiers from the SAMIDRC (Southern African Development Community Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) have lost their lives in the clashes, following nine deaths in the past two days. The fighting is concentrated in the area around the airport, which is now reportedly under M23 control.
Conflicts between the Congolese government and rebel groups have been going on for the past three decades and there are fears that latest spite of violence could now escalate into a regional conflict involving Rwanda.
