The recent death of an Indonesian peacekeeper following a surprise attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo this week has highlighted the vulnerability of the service in United Nations peacekeeping operations.

An Indonesian army (TNI) officer died on Tuesday while another remains in intensive care after their convoy was ambushed by rogue militias allegedly from a neighboring country, triggering a process of Indonesia’s review of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO).

According to a situation report by TNI, an engineering company composed of 12 people and escorted by a battalion from Malawi was ambushed on Monday evening about 20 kilometers from the town of Beni in North Kivu province, while she was returning to the central operating base.

The ambush killed Sgt. Major Rama Wahyudi, who was shot in the chest. Another Indonesian soldier, First Pvt. Mr. Syafii Makbul, was also injured in the attack and is currently under intensive medical treatment.

The attack was carried out by “suspected members” of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) – an armed group in eastern DRC with links to Uganda – according to a statement from the peacekeeping mission of the UN.

The incident prompted Indonesia to conduct an assessment of the existing patrol system at MONUSCO, Brig. Gen. Victor H. Simatupang, Commander of the TNI Peacekeeping Mission Center.

“We will assess the security system that has been put in place so far, as the engineering company relied on the safeguards prepared by the UN,” he said. Jakarta Post Wednesday.

“We see a potential vulnerability. We are considering recommending the addition of surveillance tools such as drones to every move.

The company, made up of combat engineers (sappers) under the Garuda XX-Q/MONUSCO contingent, is primarily tasked with building infrastructure for the UN and local government, and augmenting troops was not an option due to a cap on the number of personnel set by the UN, says Victor.

“We are still carefully assessing the situation, but it is possible to make recommendations on how to strengthen our unity,” he said.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi took to Twitter on Tuesday to express her condolences over the death of the soldier.

“My deepest condolences on the passing of Sgt. Major Rama Wahyudi, an Indonesian peacekeeper with the MONUSCO mission in the DRC,” Retno tweeted.

Also Read: Foreign Minister offers condolences to Indonesian soldier killed in attack on MONUSCO

In New York, the Indonesian Mission to the United Nations, together with France, issued a UN Security Council press release strongly condemning the attack and calling on the Congolese authorities to investigate the attack and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“Members of the Security Council condemned in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against MONUSCO. They stressed that deliberate attacks targeting peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law,” the council said in the statement.

Jean-Pierre Lacroix, UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, also condemned the attack.

“This crime must not go unpunished. I reiterate my gratitude to Indonesia for its strong support for the UN and UN peacekeeping,” he said on Twitter.

The ADF is a predominantly Muslim movement that originated in neighboring Uganda in the 1990s and opposes the regime of Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni.

It moved to the DRC in 1995 and moved its base of operations there, although it has not carried out attacks inside Uganda for years.

According to UN figures, he has killed more than 500 people since late October, when the Congolese army launched an offensive against him.

The ADF killed 15 UN soldiers at their base near the Ugandan border in December 2017, and seven in an ambush in December 2018.

Read also: Indonesian peacekeepers mostly die in accidents: Official

Since joining UN peacekeeping missions in 1957, Indonesia has seen at least 38 of its soldiers die in the field. Most of them, however, were killed in traffic accidents rather than in open conflict.

UN data shows that from 1948 to June 30, 2018, a total of 3,755 peacekeepers died. Of these, 1,319 died by accident, 1,187 from illness, 1,001 from malicious acts and the rest from other issues.