By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is in mourning following a plane crash in Kenge that killed 17 people, including two senior military justice officials. The government has declared three days of national mourning beginning Monday.
Among those killed in the September 25 crash were Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalay Tiende, Chief Justice of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-René Likulia Bakumi, Auditor General of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) at the High Military Court.
A small TRACEP aircraft flying from Kikwit to Kinshasa crashed at around 2:00 p.m. on Friday in Kenge, the capital of Kwango Province in southwestern DRC, killing everyone on board.
The crash occurred in an area that has lacked a functioning airport for several years, raising questions about why the aircraft attempted to land there.
Kwango Deputy Governor Rémy Saki, who is currently serving as acting governor in place of Governor Willy Bitwisila, said several questions remain unanswered about the tragedy. Provincial authorities, he said, do not yet have precise information on the circumstances that led the crew to attempt a landing in Kenge.
Emergency Meeting of the Military High Command
In response to the tragedy, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense and Veterans Affairs Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita presided over an emergency meeting of the military high command on Saturday, September 26.
During the meeting, Kabombo called on members of the high command to conduct themselves with respect and dignity in memory of those who lost their lives. He also urged them to demonstrate responsibility and institutional solidarity in the face of a tragedy that has struck both the Armed Forces and the country’s military justice system.
The defense minister said investigations were continuing to establish the exact circumstances surrounding the crash.
Government Suspends TRACEP Air Carrier Certificate
The government has also suspended TRACEP’s air carrier certificate pending the outcome of investigations into the crash.
In a statement released Saturday, the Ministry of Transportation, Communications and Infrastructure Development said the Deputy Prime Minister responsible for the sector had instructed the Civil Aviation Authority to enforce the suspension with immediate effect.
“This measure suspends the operation of its aircraft throughout the country until the completion of the investigations being conducted by the Permanent Bureau for the Investigation of Aviation Accidents and Incidents (BPEA),” the ministry stated.
The suspension effectively grounds TRACEP’s aircraft across the DRC while investigators work to determine what caused the fatal crash.
