Italy’s ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed in an attack in the east of the country. Luca Attanasio died in a hospital on Monday at 43 years old after the United Nations convoy he was travelling in was fired upon near Goma. The UN convoy belonged to the UN’s World Food Programme. An Italian military police officer and a third person were also killed in the attack.
The attack around 10:15 local time (8:15 GMT) just north of Goma is believed to have been an attempted kidnapping, according to officials. It is unclear who was behind the attack, but many different armed groups operate around the Virunga National Park near where the attack took place. Mr Attanasio represented Italy in the DR Congo since 2017 and has also spent time in Morocco and Nigeria after joining the diplomatic service in 2003.
Read more: Italian ambassador to DR Congo killed in UN convoy attack
