(MENAFN) On Monday, a Cameroonian peacekeeper lost his life, and five others sustained injuries in the Central African Republic due to the detonation of an explosive device, as reported by a UN force.
The tragic incident occurred at 11:30 a.m. local time (1030GMT) while the peacekeeping force, serving under the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), was on patrol approximately 45 kilometers (28 miles) northwest of the town of Paoua in Lim-Pende prefecture, according to an official declaration.
“The patrol of the Cameroonian contingent was escorting a team from the International Organization for Migration. Five other peacekeepers were injured, two of them seriously, as a result of the explosion,” the declaration mentioned.
The chief of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, denounced with the strongest terms the utilization of explosive devices, which she stated “constitutes one of the most lethal threats to the protection of civilians, the delivery of humanitarian assistance, and the activities of populations in the affected areas.”
The UN mission has urged the Central African authorities to exert maximum efforts in identifying those responsible for the attack and ensuring they are brought to justice.
Emphasizing that any assault on the life of a peacekeeper could be regarded as a war crime, the statement highlighted that such actions are subject to prosecution under both national and international legal frameworks.
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