They assassinated the Italian ambassador to the Congo in an attack on a UN convoy: another diplomat has been kidnapped

The Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, 43 years old, was assassinated today in the north of the country after suffering an attack while inside his car. Attanasio, a young diplomat assigned to this African country, was part of a convoy of the The United Nations in the town of Rubber, in the province of North Kivu, in the northeast of this nation.

Attanasio He was rushed to a local hospital, but eventually died a few minutes later. Also in the caravan was the head of the delegation of HIM-IS-IT. As a result of the attack, a policeman was also killed. The incident occurred near the town of Kanyamahoro around 10:15 am local time. The convoy was part of the United Nations World Food Program.

The information was provided by one of the spokespersons of the Virunga National Park and confirmed by Italian government sources. The same spokesperson said the attack was part of a larger plan to kidnap delegates from the The United Nations. Attanasio was traveling in a convoy of Monusco which also included the Head of delegation of the European Union, whose identity has not yet been revealed: the convoy was attacked, the diplomat injured and kidnapped, according to the newspaper The Republic.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, Luigi Di Maio, confirmed the news and said to be under “immense pain of the incident“, According to the newspaper Corriere della Sera. At the moment, there is no information on who was responsible for the attack. However, dozens of armed groups operate in eastern La Democratic Republic of Congo, many of which are remnants of militias that fought in civil wars that claimed millions of lives from conflict, hunger and disease.

Attanasio received in 2020 on Nassiriya International Peace Prize “for his commitment to safeguarding peace between peoples and for having contributed to the implementation of important humanitarian projects, distinguished by his altruism, dedication and spirit of service to support people in difficulty“.

Born in Milan 43 years ago and graduated in commerce, Attanasio arrive at Congo as Italian representative on September 5, 2017. He was previously a diplomat in the embassies of Swiss, Morocco Yes Nigeria, was head of mission in Kinshasa, Congo, where he led many humanitarian projects. He was one of the youngest Italian ambassadors in the world.

A hot zone

This is not the first time that the same region where he was killed Attanasio it is the scene of crimes and attacks. In early January, six rangers were killed in an ambush by rebels More more this sunday in the National Park Virunga northeast of Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to the park authorities in a press release. The event happened on Sunday at Ears, in the zone Rutshuru from the park, he said Olivier Mukisya, spokesperson for the Institution of Natural Protection of Congo.

“At around 7:30 a.m. local time, rangers were ambushed during a foot patrol inside the park.», Explains the statement released last night, which specifies that the attack occurred in the area between Ears Yes Nyamilma, near the central area of Kabuendo. “Preliminary investigations indicate that the rangers were caught off guard without being able to defend themselves and that local Mai-Mai (rebel) groups were responsible for the attack.“, Add.

A seventh ranger was injured and transferred to a hospital in Rubber, capital of the province of Kivu to the north, where he is out of danger, according to the source. The six dead were between 25 and 30 years old, and according to Virunga officials, were considered Congolese officials when they worked for a national park and did not have military status.

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