Central African Republic: UN Peacekeeper Killed by a Mine

The peacekeeper, Emmanuel Steve Atebele, was from Cameroon and was part of a patrol escorting a team from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

According to MINUSCA, the incident occurred at 11:30 (10:30 GMT) in the village of Mbindale, between Kowone and Pougol, 45 km northwest of Paoua, in the Lim Pendé prefecture. The patrol vehicle detonated an explosive device, killing the Cameroonian peacekeeper and injuring five others, two of them seriously. The injured were evacuated to the Bouar hospital.{loadmoduleid 377}

UN Secretary-General António Guterres and his Special Representative in the CAR and Head of MINUSCA, Valentine Rugwabiza, condemned this act and extended their condolences to the family of the deceased and the Cameroonian government. They also emphasized that attacks on UN peacekeepers could constitute war crimes under international law and called on Central African authorities to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of this attack.

MINUSCA is a United Nations peacekeeping operation deployed in the CAR since 2014, with a primary focus on civilian protection. It consists of over 15,000 military, police, and civilian personnel on the ground. Its role is to support the transition process, facilitate humanitarian assistance, promote and protect human rights, support justice and the rule of law, and promote the disarmament, demobilization, reintegration, and repatriation of armed groups.{loadmoduleid 378}