The so-called Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attack in eastern DRC took place near the town of Beni on Monday when a MONUSCO patrol came under fire. The injured peacekeeper is said to be in stable condition.

They “risk their lives on a daily basis”: Zerrougui

MONUSCO chief and UN special representative Leila Zerrougui condemned the alleged ADF attack in a series of tweets, noting that the soldier who died of his injuries was taking part in a bridge construction project in the Hululu area.

She underlined the “sacrifice of the men and women ‘blue helmets’ who risk their lives daily far from their homes, to protect civilians and restore stability in the DRC”.

The ADF was born in neighboring Uganda in the 1990s in opposition to longtime Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni moving its base of operations across the border into the DRC.

The group killed 15 UN soldiers at their base near the Ugandan border in December 2017, 14 from Tanzania and seven in an ambush in December the following year.

Guterres affirms UN support

the UN Secretary General António Guterres expressed its deepest condolences to the family of the deceased peacekeeper, as well as to the Indonesian government, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured peacekeeper.

The Secretary-General recalled that attacks against UN peacekeepers can constitute a war crime, calling on the Congolese authorities to investigate and “promptly bring those responsible to justice”.

The UN chief said the UN would continue “to support the Congolese government and people in their efforts to bring peace and stability to the east of the country”.

Security Council calls for prompt investigation

Members of the UN Security Council strongly condemned the attack, in a statement Tuesday morning, expressing their deepest condolences to the victim’s family, the Indonesian authorities and the United Nations. They wished a speedy recovery to the injured.

Members condemn “in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against MONUSCO. They stressed that deliberate attacks targeting peacekeepers can constitute war crimes under international law,” the statement said, calling on Congolese authorities “to promptly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.”