Two Congolese aid workers were killed and a third abducted by an
unidentified armed group in the troubled North Kivu province of
Democratic Republic of Congo, the United Nations said Monday.
"We
lost two fellow aid workers killed in the line of duty by unidentified
armed people," the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (Ocha) said in a statement.
The three men were
employed by the Congolese NGO Hydraulique Sans Frontieres (HYFRO), which
specialises in water purification projects, when attacked on Saturday
near the village of Mushikiri.
Ocha said it "strongly
condemns this latest attack" and called for "the immediate and
unconditional release of the person held hostage".
Aid
workers "should never be targeted. This attack represents a serious
violation of international humanitarian law and emergency standards," it
said.
According to Ocha, security conditions are very
worrying in North Kivu and represent a "major obstacle" to the work of
humanitarians.
UN spokesman Farhan Haq said the
situation in North Kivu was "worrying" adding that it represented a
"major obstacle of the delivery of humanitarian assistance to thousands
of people in need."
Kidnappings, including of foreign
and Congolese personnel of humanitarian organisations, are frequent in
the territories of Masisi, Lubero, Rutshuru and Walikale in the province
of North Kivu.
Eastern DR Congo is torn apart by more
than 20 years of armed conflict, fueled by ethnic and land disputes,
competition for control of the region's mineral resources, and rivalry
between regional powers.
Related stories
No comments :
Post a Comment