Italian Ambassador killed in eastern DRC

Ambassador of Italy in DRC

The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a World Food Programme (WFP) staff member, together with an Italian embassy official, were killed on Monday, February 22, during an attack on a UN convoy in the east of the country, the agency has said.

A number of other passengers travelling with the delegation were injured in the attack which local media reported to have happened around 10 am local time. The group was travelling from Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province, to visit a WFP-run school feeding programme in Rutshuru (about 40 miles north of Goma), the agency said in a statement.

 “WFP will work with national authorities to determine the details behind the attack, which occurred on a road that had previously been cleared for travel without security escorts”, the agency added, noting that it is in close contact with the Italian authorities through its offices at its Rome headquarters and in the DRC.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, the UN noted, "Although a number of armed groups are active in the region."