U.N. Probes DRC Attack That Killed 15 Peacekeepers
By Susan McFarland
Jan. 6, 2018 at 3:48 PM
Peacekeepers patrol a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations is investigating a Dec. 7 attack in the Beni territory of North Kivu province that left 15 U.N. peacekeepers dead. Photo by Sylvain Liechti/UPI
Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The United Nations is investigating a deadly attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month that left 15 U.N. peacekeepers dead, according to a news statement.
To lead the investigation, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Dmitry Titov of Russia, a former U.N. assistant secretary-general, according to the statement released Saturday.
The killings, considered the deadliest single assault on a U.N. mission in nearly a quarter century, happened Dec. 7 in the Beni territory of North Kivu province. The attack also left 43 peacekeepers wounded and another missing.
The investigation team, which also includes two military officers from Tanzania, will travel to Congo early this month, also visiting relevant countries in the African Great Lakes region.
Following the December attack, a U.N. official said suspects of the attack are from a Ugandan rebel group known as the Allied Democratic Forces. The group has been accused of killing more than 700 people in the region since October 2014.
A statement last month by the U.N. Security Council said the attack is a "reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by these brave women and men every day."
Jan. 6, 2018 at 3:48 PM
Peacekeepers patrol a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The United Nations is investigating a Dec. 7 attack in the Beni territory of North Kivu province that left 15 U.N. peacekeepers dead. Photo by Sylvain Liechti/UPI
Jan. 6 (UPI) -- The United Nations is investigating a deadly attack in the Democratic Republic of Congo last month that left 15 U.N. peacekeepers dead, according to a news statement.
To lead the investigation, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Dmitry Titov of Russia, a former U.N. assistant secretary-general, according to the statement released Saturday.
The killings, considered the deadliest single assault on a U.N. mission in nearly a quarter century, happened Dec. 7 in the Beni territory of North Kivu province. The attack also left 43 peacekeepers wounded and another missing.
The investigation team, which also includes two military officers from Tanzania, will travel to Congo early this month, also visiting relevant countries in the African Great Lakes region.
Following the December attack, a U.N. official said suspects of the attack are from a Ugandan rebel group known as the Allied Democratic Forces. The group has been accused of killing more than 700 people in the region since October 2014.
A statement last month by the U.N. Security Council said the attack is a "reminder of the extraordinary sacrifices made by these brave women and men every day."
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