GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Aug. 19 (UPI) -- The United Nations condemned the rebel attack on a U.N. peacekeeping base in Democratic Republic of the Congo in which three soldiers were killed.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon decried the Wednesday ambush of the base in the eastern region of the troubled African country in which three Indian members of the force were killed with swords and spears, the United Nations said in a release.
"The secretary-general condemns the assault and calls on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to launch an immediate investigation into this incident and ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly identified and brought to justice," Ban said in a statement issued by his spokesperson.
The operating base of the U.N. Organization Stabilization Mission in Kirumba, in the volatile North Kivu province, was attacked by up to 60 unidentified men armed with machetes and spears, the mission said. At least six other military personnel were injured when peacekeepers engaged with the attackers, forcing them to retreat. The attackers also stole two weapons from the base.
Mission spokesperson Madnodje Mounoubai said the attack was under investigation to determine who carried it out and why.
U.N. peacekeeping forces "are not party to the conflict," Mounoubai said. "They are here to ensure peace. So we don't know exactly what are reasons behind this attack."
The attack came as violence is picking up in eastern Congo, and as the United Nations is considering whether to pull out from the country, The New York Times said.
Eastern Congo is home to deadly rebel groups, including the Lord's Resistance Army, which kills and kidnaps in the name of religion, and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda, whose members include perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, the Times said.
