Italian ambassador to Congo killed in attack on UN convoy

February 22

13:25 2021

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Luca Attanasio, Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), was on Monday killed while travelling in a United Nations convoy in the Central African country.

The Italian foreign ministry said in a statement a carabineri police officer was also killed during the attack on the MONUSCO convoy.

MONUSCO is the UN’s peacekeeping force in DRC.

According to the statement, the incident said to be an attempted kidnap, occurred in Goma, a city in the eastern part of Congo, at about 10 am.

Those responsible for the attack are yet unknown.

Remnants of the local militia in DCR have continued to kidnap civilians, foreign personnel and humanitarian personnel on peace-keeping missions in the country.