Congo military releases 2 Kenya Airways staffers held for 2 weeks

#Africa
Congo military releases 2 Kenya Airways staffers held for 2 weeks

Loveworld / 2 weeks

May 7, 2024

2 min read

The military of the Republic of Congo has released two Kenya Airways employees who were detained for two weeks over a cargo dispute, Kenya’s foreign ministry announced on Monday.
The detention of these staffers had prompted Kenya Airways to suspend its flights to Congo. However, the state-owned airline has now declared that flights will resume starting Wednesday.
Kenya Airways stated that it declined the cargo due to the lack of necessary documentation. The exact nature of the cargo, described as “valuable,” has not been disclosed.
The Congolese military had apprehended the airline’s staffers from their offices at the main airport in the capital city, Kinshasa.
Although a military court had granted the airline’s request for their release, the military initially continued to detain them.
Kenya and Congo maintain friendly relations, with Kenya actively participating in U.N.-backed peacekeeping missions in Congo.
The Kenyan Embassy in Congo worked towards negotiating the release of the detained staffers, as confirmed by Korir Singoei, the Principal Secretary of the Foreign Ministry.
Colleagues and embassy officials were allowed only a brief meeting with the two employees.
Singoei personally met with the family of one of the detained staffers and reassured them that their relative would be safe and receive “fair treatment” from the Congolese authorities.