Killed in UN convoy attack

Italian ambassador to DR Congo killed in UN convoy attack

Luca Attanasio was traveling as part of a UN World Food Programme convoy.

BY WILLIAM ADKINS

The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in an attack on a United Nations convoy.

Luca Attanasio, 43, died in hospital on Monday, the Italian foreign ministry said.

The convoy was attacked near the town of Kanyamahoro, just north of the city of Goma, on the border with Rwanda, in what is believed to be an attempted kidnapping. The convoy reportedly belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme.

A military police officer was also killed in the attack, Italy’s foreign ministry confirmed. A driver was also killed, according to Italian media.

Italian Foreign Secretary Luigi Di Maio said in a statement that they had been “violently torn from us while doing their duty,” and that “no effort will be spared to shed light on what happened.”

European Council President Charles Michel tweeted that he was “shocked and saddened” by the news.