The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed during a visit to a volatile part of the country in a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy.
Luca Attanasio died of his injuries when the convoy was ambushed in Virunga National Park near the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province, the province’s governor Carly Nzanzu Kasivita told dpa.
The ambassador’s driver and bodyguard were also killed, he said.
The Italian Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of the ambassador and a security officer.
The unidentified attackers were repelled by park rangers patrolling the area, according to the governor.
Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio travelled back to Italy from a meeting in Brussels because of the incident, according to Italian news agency Ansa.
Congolese police said they had not been informed about the ambassador's visit to the volatile national park.
He was "surpised" that Attanasio had travelled the violence-prone area without a police convoy, national police general Abba Van told dpa.
WFP told dpa it was "currently investigating" the incident.
Attacks on civilians, aid organizations and officials are common in volatile eastern Congo, where more than 100 rebel groups are active, many of them fighting over the country's precious natural resources.
Source: DPA
