SG/SM/22696
22 June 2025
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:
The Secretary-General strongly condemns the attack by unidentified armed elements on 20 June against a patrol of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), which resulted in the death of a Zambian peacekeeper and the injury of another. The incident occurred along the Birao-Am Dafock axis in Vakaga Prefecture.
The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the fallen peacekeeper and to the Government and the people of Zambia and wishes a swift and full recovery to the injured.
The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.
The Secretary-General reaffirms the solidarity of the United Nations with the people and Government of the Central African Republic.