"It is with deep sadness that the Foreign Ministry confirms the death, today (Monday) in Goma, of the Italian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Luca Attanasio, and of a soldier".

The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed, Monday, February 22, the death of its ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), Luca Attanasio, specifying that he was traveling with a United Nations convoy in the east of the country.

The Italian ambassador in Kinshasa was shot dead on Monday in an armed attack that targeted a World Food Program (WFP) convoy during a visit near Goma, in eastern DR Congo.

Ambassador Luca Attanasio "died immediately of his wounds," a senior diplomatic source in Kinshasa told AFP.

Luca Attanasio had been in post since early 2018. Seriously "shot in the abdomen", the ambassador was evacuated to a hospital in Goma "in critical condition", the diplomatic source told AFP.

"The Congolese Armed Forces are combing to find out who the attackers are," the Congolese army said.

Early return to Rome of the head of Italian diplomacy

The attack on this WFP convoy took place in the north of Goma, the capital of the province of North Kivu, which has been plagued by violence from armed groups for more than 25 years.

This region is home to the Virunga National Park, a natural, tourist and threatened gem, which is also the theater of conflicts in this region of North Kivu, where dozens of armed groups are vying for control of the wealth of the soil and the subsoil. .

Created in 1925, Virunga National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

This reserve extends over 7,769 km², from Goma to the territory of Béni, between mountains and forests. 

The park is guarded by 689 armed rangers, at least 200 of whom have been killed in the line of duty, according to its officials.

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, who was in Brussels for a meeting with his European counterparts, announced his early return to Rome.

With AFP

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