On February 22, the Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo – Luca Attanasio – his security guard (Carabinieri) – Vittorio Iacovacci – and his driver – Mustapha Milambo – a Congolese contracted locally, were brutally murdered about 20 km from Goma, in the East DRC. The site is within Virunga National Park, on the border between DRC, Rwanda and Uganda, and where several armed rebel groups operate.
The Ambassador’s car was travelling embedded in a convoy of vehicles from the United Nations’ World Food Program, with the aim of visiting and supporting the humanitarian aid activities that were being provided to needy populations in the region. During the attack, the terrorists also kidnapped four other people, one of whom, meanwhile, was found by Congolese security forces.
The Congolese authorities were quick to accuse the Rwandan Hutu rebels of the Democratic Liberation Forces of Rwanda (DLFR) of being behind the attack. However, Rwandan DLFR rebels deny responsibility. However, allegedly there´s a jihadist group, close to a terrorist faction that has been perpetrating massacres in northern Mozambique and Tanzania, that claimed the attack. These Jihadists claim that they carried out the attack with a small commando group of six men, using only with Kalashnikov rifles. According to sources, this group of jihadists is trying to capitalize on the success of the attack on the United Nations convoy and it’s calling for more attacks on diplomats in the region.
The UN has about 15,000 military personnel in the country, serving on the MONUSCO peacekeeping mission. After the attack, the area was patrolled by Moroccan blue helmets but, so far, the 3 missing people who have been kidnapped have not yet been found. MONUSCO is currently one of the largest and most dangerous operations in the UN.
We express our condolences to the families of the deceased, our sympathy to the international community in the DRC and Italy, and we wish the speedy recovery of those who are missing.
OPen samento 