17 Dead in Congo Plane Crash Including Top Military Justice Officials

Fatal Crash Claims Top Military Judiciary Officials

According to the Ministry of Transport, the Let 410 UVP light aircraft operated by Tracep Congo Aviation crashed around 13:00 GMT on September 25, 2026. The flight went down near Kenge in Kwango Province, roughly 200 kilometers east of the capital Kinshasa, while carrying a delegation of military justice officials. The Ministry confirmed that the incident killed 13 passengers and four crew members on board. Among the dead were Lieutenant General Joseph Mutombo Katalayi Tiende, who served as head of the high military court, and Lieutenant General Lucien-Rene Likulia Bakumi, the armed forces’ auditor general. A military spokesperson confirmed that 12 other members of the delegation alongside the four crew members also perished. Lieutenant General Likulia had been appointed directly by President Felix Tshisekedi. In September 2025, Likulia acted as the prosecutor in the in absentia trial of former President Joseph Kabila, which resulted in a death sentence for Kabila on charges of high treason and war crimes.

Infrastructural Strain and Investigation

President Tshisekedi has ordered a full investigation to determine the exact cause of the crash. However, the local civil aviation authority stated that the primary factor behind the accident remains undetermined. Transport officials noted that air travel is vital for moving people and goods across the enormous territory of the Democratic Republic of Congo, where overland routes often deteriorate severely. At the same time, the domestic aviation sector faces serious safety hazards due to aging navigational equipment and substandard airport facilities across various regions. The tragedy occurred while the Congolese military remains heavily engaged in combat operations against armed groups in the eastern provinces, particularly the M23 rebel militia backed by Rwanda.