The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed on Monday during a visit to the eastern part of the country in a World Food Program (WFP) convoy.
“The three fatalities have been identified as the Italian Ambassador to DRC, Luca Attanasio, an Italian embassy official, and a WFP driver,” the UN agency said in a statement.
Other passengers were also injured as the delegation was set to visit a WFP school feeding program, the agency added.
Attanasio died of his injuries after the convoy was ambushed in Virunga National Park near the eastern city of Goma. The unidentified attackers had fled after opening fire on the UN’s World Food Program (WFP) convoy. WFP said it was investigating the incident.
The Congolese army said its forces were “combing to find out who the assailants are,” according to AFP.
Media reports suggest that the ambush was an attempt to kidnap UN personnel, but authorities have not announced more information about the attackers.
(AFP, Deutsche Welle)
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