Kenya Airways (KQ) has announced the suspension of flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, following the “unlawful” detention of two of its employees by military intelligence.
In a statement released on Monday via social media platform X (formerly Twitter), KQ stated that they are “unable to support these flights without personnel effectively.” The suspension of flights is set to commence on Tuesday.
The incident leading to the suspension occurred on 19 April when two KQ employees were taken into custody by the Military Detection of Anti-Homeland Activities (DEMIAP) over alleged missing customs documentation on valuable cargo, according to the airline. However, KQ’s chief executive clarified that the cargo in question was not uplifted or accepted by KQ due to incomplete documentation.
During the arrest, the employees’ phones were confiscated, and access to them was denied until 23 April when Embassy officials and a KQ team were permitted to visit them.
Kenya Airways has called for the immediate release of its employees to their families, while DR Congo’s government has not yet commented on the situation.
