Kinshasa, 15 July 2013 – Following reports of human rights abuses by ADF against civilians in Kamango district near Beni in North Kivu, a UN patrol comprising of Nepalese and Jordanian troops was sent to assess the security situation in the area and address concerns related to the protection of civilians.
This patrol was ambushed on its way to Kamango, where it came under heavy fire from ADF elements. While MONUSCO troops successfully repelled the assault, two UN vehicles were damaged. “MONUSCO will fulfill its mandate given by the UN Security Council to protect civilians”, said the acting Special Representative of the Secretary General in the DRC, Moustapha Soumaré. “Today another patrol is heading to Kamango in order to pursue the objectives of the original patrol”, he continued.
The United Nations Stabilization Mission in Congo, MONUSCO, reaffirms that any attacks on peacekeepers is considered a war crime and warns anyone involved in such an action that they will be answerable before international justice.