Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo was killed in an ambush attack by attackers near the city of Goma in North Kivu Province. Ambassador Luca Attanasio, his security escort, Vittorio Iacovacci, and a WFP driver were killed in the attack on the United Nations convoy that was traveling to visit a school feeding programme.
The envoy was in a UN World Food Programme convoy heading to Rutshuru, in the province, when they were attacked in the midmorning hours in an attempted kidnap. The ambassador’s bodyguard and driver were also killed.
While no group has not claimed responsibility for the attack, the region is marred by various armed militias including the most prominent Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP). While the group hasn’t claimed the attack, it has triggered chatter within ISCAP in Beni where intelligence indicates that the militants could launch attacks on envoys and diplomatic convoys for France and the US in the region. Attacks on such convoy could gravely hinder humanitarian efforts in a region that is marred by war, conflict, jihadists, and most recently a new wave of Ebola, and as such COIN actors ought to act swiftly and install stringent security measures to pre-empt and prevent such attacks.
