Appalled by Fatal Attack on UN Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo,

Secretary-General Recalls Killing of Peacekeepers Is ‘War Crime’

 

The following statement was issued on 7 May by the Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:

The Secretary-General of the United Nations is appalled by the attack on a United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) military convoy by unidentified assailants in South Kivu, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.  He condemns in the strongest terms the killing of a Pakistani peacekeeper in this attack.  He recalls that the killing of peacekeepers is a war crime that falls under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court.

The Secretary-General offers his sincerest condolences and sympathy to the family of the victim, and to the Government of Pakistan.

The Secretary-General calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice.  The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has immediately launched an investigation into the attack.

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For information media • not an official record