UN peacekeeper killed, 5 wounded in Central African Republic explosion

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - A Cameroonian peacekeeper was killed and five others were wounded in the Central African Republic following the detonation of an explosive device on Monday, a UN force said.

The peacekeeper, serving under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), was killed at 11.30 a.m. local time (1030GMT) while on patrol 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of the town of Paoua in Lim-Pende prefecture, according to a statement.

“The patrol of the Cameroonian contingent was escorting a team from the International Organization for Migration. Five other peacekeepers were injured, two of them seriously, as a result of the explosion,” the statement said.

The head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, strongly condemned the use of explosive devices, which she said “constitutes one of the most lethal threats to the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and the activities of populations in the affected areas.”

The UN mission called on the Central African authorities to spare no effort to identify those responsible for the attack and bring them to justice.

It noted that any attempt on the life of a peacekeeper may be considered a war crime and punishable by national and international justice.