Spare no effort in probe into attack against blue helmets in CAR: Guterres

Ten unarmed Egyptian “blue helmets”, who were recently deployed to the mission, were injured in the incident in the capital Bangui on Monday.

The peacekeepers arrived at M’Poco International Airport as part of periodic rotation and deployment of troops to the country. They were on their way to their base when they came under heavy fire from the President’s guard, minuska said in a statement that day.

While trying to move away from the area located about 120 meters from the presidential residence, his bus accidentally hit a woman and she died.

Strong condemnation

UN chief strongly condemned the attack, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a statement released on Thursday.

“The Secretary-General emphasizes that attacks against UN peacekeepers can be a war crime,” Mr. Dujarric said.

“He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in investigating and immediately holding accountable the perpetrators of this unacceptable attack.”

The Secretary-General wished the injured peacekeepers a speedy and full recovery and also expressed his deepest condolences to the family of the civilian killed during the incident.

Mr. Guterres expressed his gratitude to the Egyptian people and government for their contribution to peace and stability in the CAR.

More than 14,000 uniformed personnel are serving in MINUSCA, which has been in the country since 2014, following deadly violence between predominantly Christian and predominantly Muslim militias.

The Secretary-General also reaffirmed the solidarity of the United Nations and its continued support to the CAR.