Kenya Airways stops flights to DR Congo amid row over detained staff

Kenya's flag carrier on Monday said it was halting flights to the Democratic Republic of Congo, protesting the detention of its staff by the military in Kinshasa.

The airline said in a statement that with its employees in detention, it was unable to support flights to and out of Kinshasa, capital of the DR Congo.

The two employees who are based at the airline's airport office were arrested nearly two weeks ago on accusations of failing to produce documentation for sensitive cargo, Kenya Airways said.

There has been no word from the Congolese government on the matter.

Kenya Airways CEO Allan Kilavuka said last week that the airline had not accepted to fly the cargo, whose content has not been specified, for lack of documentation.

The carrier called the detention of the employees unlawful.

The head of a Kenyan parliamentary committee on defense called the incident a 'serious infringement on the rights of the detained workers, and a breach of diplomatic order'.