TheCable

Antonio Guterres, United Nations (UN) secretary-general, has condemned an attack in which eight UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were wounded.

The troops were wounded on Saturday during clashes between the M23 rebel group and government troops in Sake, about 20 kilometres from Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu.

The UN troops have been assisting government forces in the fight to subdue the M23.

The wounded peacekeepers were part of Operation Springbok initiated last November to safeguard civilians in the region.

In a statement issued on Monday by Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson to the UN secretary-general, Guterres said the attack could amount to a war crime under international law.

The UN chief wished the injured peacekeepers a speedy recovery and reiterated calls for all armed groups to cease hostilities.

He also said the M23 must withdraw entirely from the territory it has occupied and conform to the agreements outlined in the Luanda communiqué of November 2022, to uphold the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC.

Bintou Keita, the special representative of the UN secretary-general in the DRC and head of the UN mission (MONUSCO) also condemned the attack.

Keita said MONUSCO is committed to supporting investigations in the hopes of bringing those responsible to justice.