Govt look at private charter to bring army officers home from Congo amid rising tensions

The Department of Defence says it's looking at chartering a private jet to extrIcate two Irish Army officers from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) amid fears for their safety because locals are blaming foreigners for spreading Covid-19.

Britain and Canada have already evacuated their forces from the UN mission in the DRC following an escalation in tension between locals and foreigners in what is becoming an increasingly volatile country. Intense fighting has broken out between DRC government forces and insurgents which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of people fleeing their homes.