By Dele Ade
Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed on Monday travelling with a UN convoy in eastern DRC, the foreign ministry in Rome said.
“It is with deep sadness that the Foreign Ministry confirms the death, today in Goma, of the Italian ambassador,” the ministry said, adding that an Italian policeman also died.
The Italian foreign ministry said Luca Attanasio, a carabinieri police officer who was providing security for him and a third person were killed in Goma.
They were traveling in a UN convoy in Congo but the ministry provided no other details.
Attacco in Congo, morto l’ambasciatore italiano Luca Attanasio. La matrice dell’attentato non è ancora chiara https://t.co/8Xw8GLq0uj #ANSA pic.twitter.com/keGXtWipZ7
— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) February 22, 2021
The convoy reportedly belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP).
The Reuters news agency quoting a source from the Virunga National Park said the convoy was attacked during a kidnap attempt near the town of Kanyamahoro at around 10.15 am local time (8.15am GMT).
Italy’s foreign minister Luigi Di Maio expressed his “immense pain” at his death.
— Luigi Di Maio (@luigidimaio) February 22, 2021
“The circumstances of this brutal attack are not yet known and no effort will be spared to shed light on what happened,” he said.