Off the wire
• Mongolia to restructure government ministries, agencies amid budget deficit  • Interview: China plays key role in promoting South-South cooperation: UN official  • Jordan urges legal, diplomatic options to tackle conflicts at holy site  • Austria to boost border police numbers  • Spanish stock market rises 0.66 pct  • Roundup: Swedish King highlights economic cooperation during visit to Lithuania  • Nearly 200,000 migrants passed through Austria in September: ministry  • Left-wing opposition slams Latvia's draft 2016 budget  • Norway plans to close four embassies in 2016  • British FTSE 100 increases 0.16 pct  
You are here: 　 Home

UN chief condemns killing of peacekeeper in Central African Republic

Xinhua, October 8, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday condemned the killing of a UN peacekeeper in Central African Republic and called for action of justice.

"The Secretary-General deplores, in the strongest terms, attacks against United Nations peacekeepers and calls for swift action to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a regular briefing here.

A UN peacekeeping convoy came under fire by elements of an unknown armed group, some 55 kilometers north of Bangui, the national capital of CAR, Tuesday, said Dujarric.

The military escort of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) returned fire. One peacekeeper was killed and another was injured in the exchange of gunfire.

Ban called for all armed groups in the CAR to end fighting and lay down their weapons. He also reiterates UN's commitment to support the authorities of CAR in their fight against criminality and putting an end to impunity.

The CAR has recently witnessed an upsurge in violence in Bangui, that has left more than 30 people dead and more than 100 wounded, with thousands more to flee their homes in search of safety.

Dujarric said that the UN mission has intensified patrolling near the National Transitional Council. Beyond the capital, peacekeepers continue to monitor the attempted movements of armed groups.

Regarding the upcoming election, MINUSCA continues to work with the National Electoral Authority and so far 82.7 percent of eligible voters have reportedly been registered, he added.

MINUSCA was set up in April 2014 to help bring peace after a breakdown of governmental authority and vicious intercommunal fighting. Endit