Italian envoy and two others killed in assault on UN convoy in Congo

Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo and two folks have been killed on Monday in an assault on a United Countries convoy in japanese Congo, Italy’s international ministry and park government mentioned.

The convoy used to be attacked at round 10:15 am (0815 GMT) all the way through an tried kidnap by way of assailants close to town of Kanyamahoro, a couple of kilometres (miles) north of the regional capital Goma, the Virunga Nationwide Park instructed Reuters.

The Italian ambassador, Luca Attanasio, and an army policeman travelling with him have been killed, the Italian international ministry mentioned in a commentary.

The park had mentioned previous that two folks within the convoy were killed and the ambassador wounded. The 3rd individual killed used to be a driving force, diplomatic assets mentioned.

It used to be now not straight away transparent who used to be in the back of the assault. There used to be no speedy declare of duty.

“It’s with deep sorrow that the Overseas Ministry confirms the dying these days in Goma of the Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, and of a policemen from the Carabinieri,” the international ministry commentary mentioned.

“The ambassador and the soldier have been travelling in a automobile in a convoy of MONUSCO, the United Countries Organisation Stabilisation Undertaking within the Democratic Republic of Congo,” it mentioned.

In step with the ministry web page, Attanasio were Italy’s head of undertaking in Kinshasa since 2017 and used to be made ambassador in 2019.

Dozens of armed teams function in and round Virunga, which lies alongside Congo’s borders with Rwanda and Uganda. Park rangers were time and again attacked, together with six who have been killed in an ambush ultimate month.