DR Congo: UN offical deplores killing of mission staff member in eastern city

5 February 2014 – The top United Nations official in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) strongly condemned today the shooting death of a national staffer working for the UN peacekeeping mission in the country.

In a statement issued by his office, Martin Kobler, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) said the staff member was shot dead this morning while heading to work in Beni, a city located in the restive north-eastern part of the vast Great Lakes country.

“On behalf of the entire Mission, I strongly condemn this killing”, said Mr. Kobler, who added: “I urge the authorities to immediately launch an inquiry and arrest the perpetrators of this horrible act; the persons involved should be brought to justice as soon as possible.”

The DRC has been torn apart by civil wars and factional fighting since it became independent in 1960, but with the support of a series of UN missions a measure of stability has been restored to much of the vast country over the past decade. Fighting between the Government and a variety of rebel and sectarian groups has continued to devastate the eastern regions, particularly North and South Kivu provinces.

In March 2013, the UN Security Council authorized the deployment of an intervention brigade within MONUSCO to carry out targeted offensive operations, with or without the Congolese national army, against armed groups that threaten peace in eastern DRC.