Pakistani peacekeeper killed in a rebel group’s ambush in D.R. Congo; UN chief mourns

UNITED NATIONS, Jan 28 (APP):A Pakistani soldier, Naik Naeem Raza, serving the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC) was killed and another wounded in an ambush by an armed group in the eastern
part of the strife-torn African country on Saturday, as the UN chief called for bringing those responsible for
the attack to justice.
A U.N. spokesman said the attack took place near Lulimba, 96 km south west of Baraka, in DRC’s South
Kivu Province. At least one other peacekeeper was wounded in the attack, he said.
In a statement released by his spokesman at UN headquarters in New York, Secretary-General Antonio
Guterres condemned the killing the soldier who was a member of the Pakistani contingent of the United
Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO.
“The Secretary-General extends his heartfelt condolences to the family of the deceased and to the
people and government of Pakistan,” the spokesman said, adding he wishes a speedy recovery to
the injured.
The Secretary-General also reiterated his call on armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
to lay down their arms and seek to resolve their grievances peacefully. “He reaffirms the readiness of
MONUSCO and the United Nations system to continue working with the authorities of the DRC to help
address the security challenges facing the country.”
In New York, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations,
telephoned Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi to express his condolences on the loss of a
Pakistani peacekeeper in the line of duty.
Pakistan is among the top contributors to U.N. peacekeeping operations around the world, with more
than 7,000 Pakistanis currently serving as blue helmets. More than 170,000 Pakistanis have served
over the past decades. One hundred and forty seven Pakistani peacekeepers have made the ultimate
sacrifice for the cause of world peace and stability.