KINSHASA: A plane crash in the southwestern Democratic Republic of Congo killed 17 people, including two senior military justice officials, the transport ministry said on Saturday.
A Let 410 UVP light aircraft operated by Tracep Congo Aviation crashed at around 1300 GMT on Friday near Kenge, the capital of Kwango province, more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) east of the capital, Kinshasa.
The transport ministry said 13 passengers and four crew members were killed in the crash. The aircraft was carrying a delegation of military justice officials and was returning from a service mission to Kikwit in neighbouring Kwilu province, according to the armed forces.
🇨🇩 A plane went down on the edge of Kenge in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) today and caught fire immediately.
All 13 people on board died, including the pilot.
Initial reports say the pilot developed technical problems and tried to reach Kenge’s old airstrip…
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) September 25, 2026
Among those killed were Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo, first president of the High Military Court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Likulia, the armed forces’ auditor general.
Likulia had been involved in the prosecution of former president Joseph Kabila, who was tried in absentia by the High Military Court in 2025.
READ ALSO: At Least 66 Killed in Colombian Military Plane Crash
In August 2025, Likulia sought the death penalty for Kabila over charges including war crimes, treason and organising an insurrection. Kabila was subsequently sentenced to death in absentia in September 2025.
President Felix Tshisekedi has ordered an investigation into the crash, while authorities have yet to establish its cause. Air transport plays a crucial role in the vast central African country, where much of the road network is in poor condition.
However, aviation safety has also been a longstanding concern, with some airports and navigation infrastructure in poor condition.
