Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo Luca Attanasio and two others were were killed on Monday in an attack on a United Nations convoy in eastern Congo.
The Italian foreign ministry disclosed the news in a statement.
According to Reuters, the attack on the Ambassador happened in Virunga National Park near the eastern city of Goma when he was travelling from the city of Goma to visit a World Food Programme (WFP) school feeding project in Rutshuru.
The ambassador died on the scene due to the injuries that he sustain during the attack, and the other fatalities were identified as an Italian embassy official, and a WFP driver.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack as no one immediately claimed responsibility.
The Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio expressed his great dismay over the attack and he has sent his condolences to the family of the victims.
Meanwhile, the DRC’s army said troops were deployed in the area to search the assailants and investigations will commence immediately to bring those behind the attack to book.
Attanasio had been ambassador since 2019 and Italy’s head of mission in Kinshasa since 2017.
He is the second European ambassador to have been killed while serving in the DRC after the assassination of French Ambassador Philippe Bernard in January 1993.
Last week, UN’s refugee agency said more than 2,000 civilians were killed in North and South Kivu and Ituri provinces last year.
