Journalists and local media in the Congo broadcast pictures showing the moment the Italian ambassador was injured before his death, after an armed attack on him in a convoy of the World Food Program in the eastern city of Goma, and Rome condemned this attack.
The Italian Ambassador in #RDC, Luca Attanasio, died of his injuries after the attack, according to several diplomatic sources and local authorities. pic.twitter.com/oz4T15IBPA
– Thierry Mfundu (@TMfundu) February 22, 2021
Earlier on Monday, the Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed the killing of its ambassador, Luca Atanazio, a soldier affiliated with it, and the driver of their car, in a shooting attack on a United Nations convoy near Goma.
President Sergio Mattarella denounced the “cowardly attack” and said, “The Italian Republic is in mourning for state employees who lost their lives while carrying out their duties.”
The President also condemned this “violent act” that was carried out when the three dead were in a car as part of the convoy of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).
#RDC/ Nord_Kivu: A convoy of the World Food Program (WFP) ambushed in the territory of Nyiragong, whose Italian ambassador is said to be hit by a bullet. pic.twitter.com/uvWnZXCkmT
– Nazulu Fifi (@NazuluF) February 22, 2021
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio expressed his “deep sadness and deep dissatisfaction”, announcing that he had cut short his participation in a meeting with his European counterparts in Brussels, and his early return to Rome.
“The circumstances of this brutal attack are not known yet, and we will spare no effort in shedding light on what happened,” he added.
#RDC Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio has passed away.
He succumbed to his wounds after an attack by armed men this morning on a WFP convoy in Nyiragongo territory near Goma. His driver and bodyguard also died. pic.twitter.com/61sAoYtUXP— DEPECHE.CD (@CdDepeche) February 22, 2021
For his part, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, expressed his deep sadness and deep concern about the attack, in a press conference today, on the developments of the Corona pandemic.
“I am deeply saddened & extremely concerned by the attack today on a humanitarian convoy in the #DRC which left three people dead, including the Italian Ambassador. I’d like to express my deepest condolences to their families as well as to the government & people of 🇮🇹”-@DrTedros
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) February 22, 2021
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