The event took place near Sake, only 20 kilometers away from Goma, the main city of the North Kivu province.

The injured peacekeepers, who were part of Operation Springbok that started in November to protect people in the area, got hurt during the ongoing conflict. UN soldiers have been helping Government forces to safeguard vulnerable civilians.

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, denounced the assault in a firm statement released by his Spokesperson and stressed that it may be considered a violation of international law.

He voiced his desire for a quick recovery of the injured peacekeepers and restated his plea for all armed groups, both Congolese and foreign, to halt hostilities and participate in the process of disarmament.

Additionally, the leader of the United Nations stressed the importance of M23 completely withdrawing from the territory it has taken and adhering to the terms set forth in the Luanda communiqué from November 2022 in order to protect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Bintou Keita, the United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and leader of the MONUSCO mission, also denounced the attack in agreement with others.

According to her, one of the injured peacekeepers known as ‘blue helmets’ sustained serious wounds and all of them were taken for proper medical treatment.

The peacekeeping forces were sent to the turbulent North Kivu region for a few weeks under Operation Springbok, collaborating with the Government’s soldiers in military missions. Ms. Keita restated MONUSCO’s dedication to assisting with investigations to hold the perpetrators accountable.

The Secretary-General and his Special Representative reaffirmed MONUSCO’s resolve to further implement its protection of civilians mandate from the Security Council and work alongside Congolese defence and security forces to reinforce joint and unilateral patrols to protect civilians.

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