How the Congolese army lost its medevac helicopter

摘要

After a seven-year dispute with the company in charge of its maintenance, the Congolese Ministry ofDefence has finally given up ownership of the MI-8 helicopter that it used as its air ambulance. For seven years, an MI-8 helicopter decorated with thearms of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic ofCongo (FARDC) has been stuck on a runway in theemirate of Sharjah, in the United Arab Emirates. Theaircraft, which was used by the army to carry outemergency evacuations, particularly in the remote areasof eastern Congo, was sent to the Emirates formaintenance in 2014, but the Congolese state neverpaid the bill that they owed to the maintenance company,which amounts to €2.2m. After multiple legalproceedings, the contractor finally took control of theaircraft a few weeks ago.