In an opinion Edited by its speakerUN Secretary-General António Guterres sharply condemned the attack that left the South African ‘blue helmet’ dead and another wounded.
emergency landing
According to media reports, the seriously injured peacekeeper was able to fly on and land with the rest of the crew at the airport in the provincial capital Goma.
There are So far, no indication of who was responsible for the attackor what weapon was used in the attack.
The eastern DRC is home to several armed groups, including the M23 rebel force, which has waged a major campaign against government forces in recent months, backed by the UN mission there, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, as part of its protection-civilian mandate .
Hundreds of civilians were killed during violence by armed groups, including women and children.
Last March, eight peacekeepers were killed when their helicopter crashed in an area of North Kivu province where the Congolese army was engaged in heavy fighting with M23s.
Call for an immediate ceasefire
At an East African Community summit in Burundi on Saturday, regional leaders reiterated their call for an immediate ceasefire by militants embroiled in eastern DRC. Kinshasa has accused the Rwandan government of supporting the M23 rebels, a charge categorically denied by the authorities in Kigali.
M23 has occupied many areas of North Kivu province in eastern DRC since last October and is threatening to advance on the provincial capital.
More than 500,000 people have reportedly been displaced by intense fighting in the province since last March, and earlier in the week Pope Francis made his first visit to the DRC and called for an end to the violence. An agreement signed in November when the rebels agreed to withdraw was not implemented.
The Head of MONUSCO and Special Envoy for the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Bintou Keita, informed the Security Council in December, when he told ambassadors that the security situation “deteriorated dramatically” in the last weeks.
Nyiranzaba and her nine children take refuge in a tent after fleeing their village in Rutshuru territory in North Kivu province in DR Congo.
Guterres promises further support
In his statement, Mr. Guterres expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the government and people of South Africa, wishing those injured a speedy recovery after the dramatic helicopter landing.
He recalled that such attacks on peacekeepers “may constitute a war crime under international law.” He urged the Congolese authorities to investigate the heinous attack and bring those responsible to justice as soon as possible.
“The Secretary-General reiterates that the United Nations, through its Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will continue to support the Congolese government and people“, the statement continued, “in their efforts to create peace and stability in the east of the country.”
