Tanzanian soldiers killed in DR Congo

General Davis Mwamunyange 

By Mkinga Mkinga, and Agencies

In Summary

Reached for comment yesterday, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange, confirmed the deaths, but could not give details, saying he was not in his office.

Dar es Salaam. Two Tanzanian soldiers serving as UN peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were killed when their convoy was attacked by suspected Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels in North Kivu on Monday.

Reports from DRC said yesterday that 13 other peacekeepers were injured and four were reported missing.

Reached for comment yesterday, the Chief of Defence Forces (CDF), General Davis Mwamunyange, confirmed the deaths, but could not give details, saying he was not in his office.

“I have that information, but I’m currently at Ngerengere attending to an official matter. We will release more information as soon as possible,” he said.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the killing of the two Tanzanian peacekeepers.

A statement from the UN office in Dar es Salaam said the Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) soldiers were killed when members of the UN Organisation Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Monusco) came under fire from suspected ADF rebels.

“The attack occurred as Monusco was carrying out its protection of civilians mandate,” the statement said. It added that the attack followed an incident on May 4 when a Monusco helicopter carrying the Force Commander was hit by gunfire from unidentified armed elements in the same area.

“The Secretary-General also condemns in the strongest terms the continuing atrocities perpetrated by the ADF against defenceless civilians in the Beni area,” the statement said.

The UN Secretary-General offered his condolences and sympathy to the bereaved families and the government of Tanzania.

The statement added that the UN remained committed to taking all necessary actions in line with Security Council resolution 2211 (2015) to protect civilians and neutralise armed groups in eastern DRC.

The deaths of the two officers bring to five the number of Tanzanian soldiers who have been killed in the DRC in the past two years.

In July 2013, seven Tanzania soldiers, who were part of the UN-Africa Mission in Darfur (Unamid), were killed after gunmen ambushed their convoy. Seventeen other peacekeepers were seriously wounded in the incident described as the deadliest ever single attack on the international force in Sudan.