DRC: UN peacekeepers attacked in North Kivu
The United Nations says a peacekeeping mission was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) fighters in North Kivu on Monday.
According to a statement from the UN Security Council, one Malawian peacekeeper was killed in the attack, which was carried out near the north-eastern city of Beni in the conflict-ridden North Kivu province. The UN condemned the attack and stressed the importance of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), which aims to stabilise several regions in the DRC.
UN condemns attack in North Kivu
“The members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against MONUSCO,” the UN said in a statement released on Tuesday, following the latest attack in North Kivu.
The statement also said the “deliberate attacks targeting peacekeepers” could constitute war crimes under international law. The Security Council also called upon Congolese authorities to “swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice”.
North Kivu is one of the most volatile provinces in the DRC where regular attacks carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) and other rebel groups, killing more than 200 people since January. While UN facilities are increasingly targeted, the vast majority of casualties are citizens brutally killed by armed groups.
In response to the latest attack, the UN reiterated the importance of its peacekeeping mission in the DRC and its commitment to achieving stability in the country.
The UN statement also expressed the Security Council members’ “deepest condolences” to the family of the victim killed in Monday’s attack.
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