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Airlines defy ban on DRC flights

Some privately-owned aircraft have been defying a Ugandan government ban on commercial flights to the DRC by first flying to Kigali before heading to the rebel-held Congolese towns of Goma, Kisangani, Beni and Bunia, where they off load their cargo, Uganda's semi-official 'New Vision' newspaper reported on Monday. The paper quoted Congolese traders as saying the 30 July ban had enabled rebel chiefs, Ugandan government officials and army officers to benefit from lucrative trade in eastern DRC. "This is one of the main causes of the current row between Uganda and Rwandan officers. Their rivalry is purely business-oriented not political," the paper quoted a trader as saying.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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