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DR Congo

DRC: MONUC mourns the death of an Indian peacekeeper in North-Kivu

Kinshasa, D.R Congo, 14 June 2005: A UN peacekeeper of the Indian battalion of MONUC Kivu Brigade died, on June 13, at the Mission's military hospital in Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He was seriously injured, earlier on the same day, near the locality of Sake, 30 kilometres west of Goma

While driving towards Goma in a light vehicle, three blue helmets were hit by stray bullets during a fire exchange between troops of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FADRC) and unidentified gunmen. The blue helmets returned fire; the gunmen fled. They managed to escape with help from the fading evening light.

The three injured peacekeepers were evacuated to the Mission's Goma hospital where one of them died of his injuries.

"MONUC looks forward to the FARDC's cooperation in opening an investigation into the circumstances of the incident which led to the death of a blue helmet and left two others wounded," stated MONUC Force Commander, Lieutenant-General Babacar Gaye.