from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
DRC Bureau
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – THE killing of a Nepalese officer in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) underlines the latter’s reputation as one of the countries most dangerous for peacekeepers.
He died when militants attacked personnel serving in the United Nations Organisation Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) in Bali, Djugu territory of Ituri province.
The attack is blamed on the Coopérative pour le développement du Congo (Cooperative for Development of the Congo or CODECO) militia.
It is a loose association of various Lendu militant groups UN Secretary-General António Guterres condemned Tuesday’s attack.
“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper, as well as to the Government and the people of Nepal,” a spokesperson of the UN chief said.
Guterres recalled that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.
He called the Congolese authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring those responsible to justice.
MONUSCO is the fifth-most hostile country for the Blue Helmets, with 231 personnel killed as of the end of 2021.
The peacekeeping mission was deployed in 1999 to quell recurrent banditry.
– CAJ News