GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) – A United Nations peacekeeper from Nepal was killed on Tuesday in an attack by suspected militia members in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the U.N. peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, said.
The attackers were believed to be members of CODECO, one of many militias operating in eastern Congo amid longstanding conflict over land and resources, MONUSCO said on Twitter.
The attack took place in Djugu territory, in Ituri province, where CODECO has killed hundreds of civilians in its raids on villages and displacement camps in recent years, according to the United Nations.
A spokesperson for the militia could not immediately be reached for comment.
Eight U.N. peacekeepers were killed last week when their helicopter crashed in eastern Congo’s North Kivu province, where the army was fighting a different rebel group, the M23.
(Reporting by Fiston Mahamba; Writing by Nellie Peyton; Editing by Leslie Adler)
