Security Council denounces killing of UN peacekeeper in Central African Republic

29 Jun 2016

Security Council denounces killing of UN peacekeeper in Central African Republic

Warning that attacks against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, the Security Council has strongly condemned the killing of a ‘blue helmet’ serving with the United Nations operation in the Central African Republic (CAR).

In a press statement issued yesterday, the Council called on the country’s authorities to swiftly investigate the attack against a Senegalese peacekeeper from the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the CAR (MINUSCA) and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The Council “condemned in the strongest terms all attacks and provocations against MINUSCA by armed groups,” according to the statement.

The 15-member body also reiterated its full support for MINUSCA, the French forces that assist it, and the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for CAR, Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, in fulfilling their mandates.

The peacekeeper’s body had been found in the General Hospital in the capital, Bangui, according to the Mission.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among those who have condemned the killing, stating that attacks against those who are working towards peace and security in CAR are “unacceptable.”