GOMA (DR Congo), March 17 (NNN-XINHUA) — At least eight peacekeepers of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, were injured in an attack on Saturday in the eastern part of the country.
This attack occurred in Sake, a town located about 20 km from Goma, capital of the eastern province of North Kivu, MONUSCO said in a press release published late Saturday.
Bintou Keita, head of MONUSCO, condemned the attack in the strongest terms, saying one of the victims was seriously injured.
For weeks, the Blue Helmets have been deployed as part of Operation Springbok in North Kivu, where MONUSCO and the DRC armed forces (FARDC) are carrying out joint actions to counter armed groups, in particular the rebellion of the March 23 Movement (M23).
While calling for an immediate cessation of violence of all armed groups against civilians, Keita reaffirmed MONUSCO’s commitment to strengthening joint and unilateral patrols alongside the FARDC to protect civilian populations.
“I particularly call on the M23 armed group to lay down their arms,” she added.
The town of Sake, considered the last barrier for the city of Goma, has been plagued by repeated fightings between the FARDC and M23 rebels for months. — NNN-XINHUA