Italian ambassador to DR Congo dies in attack on UN convoy

Baku, February 23, AZERTAC

The Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed on Monday during a visit to the eastern part of the country in a World Food Program (WFP) convoy, according to DW.

"The three fatalities have been identified as the Italian Ambassador to DRC, Luca Attanasio, an Italian embassy official, and a WFP driver," the UN agency said in a statement.

Other passengers were also injured as the delegation was set to visit a WFP school feeding program, the agency added.

Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio left a meeting in Brussels to return to Rome following the news.

"The circumstances of this brutal attack are not yet known and no effort will be spared to shed light on what happened," Di Maio said on Facebook, honoring the victims as "two servants of the state."