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Congo in Conversation
Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. United Nations peacekeepers secure the area where the Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park. Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac

Italian Ambassador killed in Eastern Congo Ambush Amid Rising Violence

byGuerchom NdeboandAustere Malivika
February 23, 2021
in Politics and Insecurity
Reading Time: 8min read

Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. The Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano. Video Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac

The escalating churn of deadly violence engulfing parts of eastern Congo gained international attention when the Italian ambassador to the country was killed in an ambush on Monday near the city of Goma in North Kivu province. Armed attackers killed the ambassador, Luca Attanasio, 43, as his convoy was travelling from Goma to visit a feeding programme at a school 70 kilometers north in Rutshuru, according to a statement by the WFP.

An Italian embassy official and a World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park where mountain forests are home to dozens of armed groups, some of them linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.Ā 

  • Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. United Nations peacekeepers secure the area where the Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park. Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac
  • Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. The broken windows on the vehicle Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was travelling in when he was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac
  • Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. United Nations peacekeepers and Congolese soldiers secure the area where the Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park. Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac
Virunga National Park, DRC, February 22nd 2021. [1] United Nations peacekeepers secure the area where the Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park. [2] The broken windows on the vehicle Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio [3] United Nations peacekeepers and Congolese soldiers secure the area where the Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed Ā© Austere Malivika for Fondation Carmignac

While the death of the ambassador is the highest profile killing in a region that borders Rwanda, there has been a steep rise in violence across much of eastern Congo during the past year, according to Kivu Security Tracker (KST), an initiative by Human Rights Watch and the Congo Research Group that monitors such attacks. A new KST report published on Monday identified 122 distinct armed groups across four of Congo’s eastern provinces. Congo also has a record high of 5.5 million people displaced across the country, according to the report.

More than 2,000 civilians were killed in three eastern provinces last year in attacks mainly attributed to armed groups, the United Nations reported this month.Ā One of the worst massacres in Virunga Park’s recent history occurred last May when 12 rangers were among 17 people killed in an ambush on the same road the ambassador was travelling between Goma and Rutshuru. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers,Ā leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. The most recent attack was in January, when six park rangers on a foot patrol were killed in another ambush.

  • Goma, DRC, January 2021. Mourners in the eastern Congolese city of Goma attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers in January. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Goma, DRC, January 2021. Mourners in the eastern city of Goma attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Goma, DRC, January 2021. The casket of Eric Kibanja is transported to the cemetery in the eastern city of Goma last month. Kibanja was one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
Goma, DRC, January 2021. [1] & [2] Mourners in the eastern Congolese city of Goma attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers in January. Goma, DRC, January 2021. [2] The casket of Eric Kibanja is transported to the cemetery in the eastern city of Goma last month. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac

Four armed groups—the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), the Forces dĆ©mocratiques pour la libĆ©ration du Rwanda (FDLR), the Alliance des patriotes pour un Congo libre et souverain (APCLS), and the Nduma Defense of Congo-Renovated (NDC-R)—along with the national army account for over a third of all incidents and half of all civilians killed in eastern Congo, according to the KST report, which added that the ADF is the biggest threat responsible for far more killings of civilians (37%) than any other armed group.

The violence is driven by long simmering regional tensions involving neighboring Rwanda, Burundi and Uganda. These dynamics have a history of compounding local conflicts over land and resources, especially when mixed with political and customary power struggles.

  • National Virunga Park, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Virunga National Park, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Goma, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Virunga National Park, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
  • Virunga National Park, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
National Virunga Park, DRC, January 2021. Mourners attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush by armed attackers last month. The park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers. Ā© Guerchom Ndebo for Fondation Carmignac
Tags: North-KivuViolenceVirunga
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Guerchom Ndebo

Guerchom Ndebo

Artist photographer and director, passionate about images, Guerchom Ndebo uses photography to communicate his concerns on complex subjects and to stimulate reflection on contemporary issues. At the heart of his artistic approach, the concepts of equality, cultural differences, solidarity and decadence collide.

Austere Malivika

Austere Malivika

Congolese photojournalist and video maker based in North Kivu. Correspondent for Voice of America.

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  • Schools and universities reopened this week in the Democratic Republic of Congo after a two-month hiatus due to the second wave of the coronavirus #pandemic, which now appears to be easing. Pupils returning to class flooded the streets of Congo’s main cities, such as #Kinshasa, #Goma, #Bukavu and #Lubumbashi, but widespread insecurity is hampering efforts to resume education in several of Congo’s restive eastern provinces. In some areas, armed groups are forcibly occupying schools and homes, prohibiting school activities, and attacking health centers, according to the UNHCR, the UN @refugees Agency.
 
šŸ”— Read full report by @mosessawasawa, ā€œStudents Return to School as Pandemic Second Wave Easesā€ online. Link in bio.
 
šŸ“ø Goma, DRC, February 2021. A student has her temperature checked at the entrance to Mwanga Institute Ā© @mosessawasawa for @fondationcarmignac.
 
šŸ‡«šŸ‡·
 
ApreĢ€s une parentheĢ€se de deux mois due aĢ€ la seconde vague d’une épidémie de coronavirus en voie de régression, écoles et universités ont rouvert leurs portes cette semaine en RDC. Les éleĢ€ves retournant en classe ont envahi les rues de Kinshasa, de Goma, de Bukavu et de Lubumbashi, mais dans les provinces agitées de l’est, l’insécurité généralisée entrave tous les efforts pour faire repartir le systeĢ€me éducatif. Dans certaines zones, des groupes armés occupent par la force écoles et maisons, interdisent les activités scolaires et prennent d’assaut les centres médicaux, selon le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unis pour les réfugiés (@refugees).
 
šŸ“ø Goma, RDC, février 2021. On prend la température d’une étudiante aĢ€ l’entrée de l’Institut Mangwa, colleĢ€ge catholique. Ā© Moses Sawasawa pour la @fondationcarmignac.
 
 
šŸ”— Retrouvez l’article de @mosessawasawa, Ā« La pandémie reflue, les écoles rouvrent Ā» sur notre site internet. Lien en bio.
 
#CONGOINCONVERSATION
 
#PrixCarmignacCongo #DRC #RDC #RDCongo #Students #School #Coronavirus #Health #Politics #Insecurity #Photographie #PhotoReport #Reportage #photojournalism
  • šŸŽ¤ Next Tuesday, March 2nd, from 3 to 4 p.m (French time), @raissa_rkar, #CongoinConversation photographer, will dialogue with Gosette Lubondo (@gosettelubondo), a Congolese photographer, laureate of the @capprize 2020 and Yvon Langué (@flottements_) independent curator.
 
The discussion ā€œSocial Documentaryā€ will be broadcast live, in French, on our Facebook page #PrixCarmignac !
 
šŸ“· TALK TALK TALK x African Photographic Society
A series of talks and discussions around photography in African contexts with the aim of networking different initiatives and photographers from the continent and beyond. An initiative by @aphotographicsociety members, @fot.ea and CAP Association.ā €
 
šŸ‡«šŸ‡·
 
šŸŽ¤ Mardi prochain, le 2 mars de 15 aĢ€ 16h (heure française), @raissa_rkar photographe de #CongoinConversation, dialoguera avec Gosette Lubondo (@gosettelubondo) photographe congolaise, et Yvon Langué (@flottements_) commissaire d
  • The Italian ambassador to Congo, Luca Attanasio, was killed in an apparent kidnapping attempt on Monday. An Italian embassy official and a Congolese World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano. The region and in particular the Virunga Park has for years been the site of repeated attacks from rebels and militia groups, along with poachers and loggers, leading to the killing of hundreds of rangers and civilians. More than 2,000 civilians were killed in three eastern provinces last year in attacks mainly attributed to armed groups, the @unitednations reported this month. One of the worst massacres in Virunga Park’s recent history occurred last May when 12 rangers were among 17 people killed in an ambush on the same road the ambassador was travelling between Goma and Rutshuru. In January, six park rangers on a foot patrol were killed in another ambush.
 
Full report by @guerchomndebo & Austere Malivika online. Link in bio.
 
šŸ‡«šŸ‡·
 
L’ambassadeur d’Italie en RDC a été tué lundi, probablement au cours d’une tentative d’enleĢ€vement. Un fonctionnaire de l’ambassade italienne et un chauffeur congolais du Programme alimentaire mondial (WPF) ont aussi péri dans l’embuscade, survenue preĢ€s du volcan Nyiragongo. Depuis des années, la région et notamment le Parc des Virunga subit les attaques incessantes de rebelles, de milices, de braconniers et de buĢ‚cherons qui ont causé la mort de centaines de gardes forestiers et de civils. Selon les Nations unies, plus de 2 000 civils ont été tués dans trois de ces provinces l’an dernier, lors d’attaques attribuées aĢ€ ces groupes armés. L’un des pires massacres dans l’histoire récente des Virunga s’est produit en mai 2020 : 17 personnes dont 12 gardes forestiers ont péri dans une embuscade sur la meĢ‚me route de Goma aĢ€ Rutshuru empruntée par l’ambassadeur. En janvier, six gardes patrouillant aĢ€ pied ont également succombé aĢ€ une embuscade.
 
Article en intégralité accessible en ligne. Lien en bio.
 
#DRCongo #Congo #NorthKivu #EasternCongo #Photojournalism #Photojournalisme #PrixCarmignac #Journalism #journalisme
  • There has been a steep rise in violence across much of eastern #Congo during the past year, according to Kivu Security Tracker (KST), an initiative by @humanrightswatch and the #CongoResearchGroup that monitors such attacks. A new report published on Monday identified 122 distinct armed groups across four of Congo’s eastern provinces. Congo also has a record high of 5.5 million people displaced across the country. More than 2,000 civilians were killed in three eastern provinces last year in attacks mainly attributed to armed groups, the @unitednations reported this month.
 
šŸ“ø Goma, DRC, January 2021. Mourners in the eastern Congolese city of Goma attend the funeral of Eric Kibanja, one of six Virunga Park rangers killed in an ambush Ā© @guerchomndebo for @FondationCarmignac
 
šŸ‡«šŸ‡·
 
Une flambée de violence affecte la plus grande partie de l’est du Congo, comme en atteste le BaromeĢ€tre sécuritaire du Kivu (Kivu Security Tracker), un outil d’évaluation mis en place par l’ONG @humanrightswatch et le Groupe d’étude sur le Congo. Le rapport publié ce meĢ‚me lundi identifie pas moins de 122 groupes armés distincts dans les quatre provinces orientales de la RDC. Et il enregistre un record de 5,5 millions de personnes déplacées dans tout le pays. Selon les @unitednations, plus de 2 000 civils ont été tués dans trois de ces provinces l’an dernier, lors d’attaques attribuées aĢ€ ces groupes armés.
 
šŸ“ø Goma, RDC, janvier 2021. Cérémonie des funérailles d’Éric Kibanja, l’un des six gardes forestiers des Virunga tués dans une embuscade Ā© Guerchom Ndebo pour la Fondation Carmignac

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  • The escalating churn of deadly violence engulfing parts of eastern Congo gained international attention when the Italian ambassador to the country was killed in an ambush on Monday near the eastern city of Goma in North Kivu province. Armed attackers killed the ambassador, Luca Attanasio, 43, as his convoy was travelling from Goma to visit a feeding programme at a school 70 kilometers north in Rutshuru, according to a statement by the WFP. An Italian embassy official and a World Food Programme driver were also killed in the ambush which took place near Nyiragongo volcano in Virunga Park where mountain forests are home to dozens of armed groups, some of them linked to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
 
Full report online. Link in bio.
 
Video Ā© Austere Malivika for @fondationcarmignac
 
šŸ‡«šŸ‡·
 
Lundi 22 fĆ©vrier, le maelstrom de violence qui s’abat sur des pans entiers de l’est de la RDC s’est rĆ©vĆ©lĆ© aux yeux du monde : l’ambassadeur d’Italie a Ć©tĆ© tuĆ© dans une embuscade prĆØs de Goma. Selon un rapport du Programme alimentaire mondial (WPF), les assaillants ont abattu le diplomate Luca Attanasio, 43 ans, alors que son convoi quittait le chef-lieu du Nord-Kivu pour aller visiter un programme alimentaire dans une Ć©cole de Rutshuru, Ć  70 km au nord. Un reprĆ©sentant de l’ambassade d’Italie et un chauffeur du WPF ont Ć©galement Ć©tĆ© tuĆ©s dans l’attaque qui a eu lieu prĆØs du volcan Nyiragongo, dans le parc des Virunga. Ces forĆŖts de montagne abritent des dizaines de groupes armĆ©s, dont certains sont associĆ©s au genocide rwandais de 1994.

#RDC #DRC #RDCongo #VirungaPark #Virunga #NordKivu #NorthKivu #Rutshuru #journalisme
  • A girl sings a song about Ebola prevention during an education campaign organised by Save the Children at a church in the town of Beni in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in 2019. Congo has made significant progress in reducing child mortality and access to education for children, but a majority of them remain deprived of many of their rights, according to UNICEF, which reports that 10% of children in Congo die before the age of five and 6 million children suffer from chronic malnutrition or stunting.

In February 2021, cases of Ebola have been reported in Guinea and in the North Kivu province in DRC, where a large outbreak was yet declared over in June 2020. 
 
šŸ“ø Beni, DRC, 2019 Ā© Finbarr O
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