2017 Semuliki attack

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
2017 Semuliki attack
Part of
Semuliki, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Result Indecisive
Belligerents

MONUSCO[1]

 Democratic Republic of the Congo Allied Democratic Forces (suspected)[2]Strength Allegedly several hundredCasualties and losses 15 peacekeepers killed
53 wounded
APCs destroyed
Democratic Republic of the Congo
5 soldiers killed 72 killed (Congolese claim)

The 2017 Semuliki attack was an attack carried out by elements of the

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres labeled the attack, "the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organization's recent history."[8]

Background

Since the early 1990s, the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a hotbed of ethnic violence and human rights violations[9] partially because the area is located adjacent to Rwanda and Uganda. The porous borders and intersecting ethnic groups have led to heavy fighting between rival militias and the Congolese army.[10] Much of the fighting has been over the access to mineral deposits which are plentiful in the region and the Kivu conflict has led to the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more.[11] The United Nations has maintained an international presence in the region under the banner of MONUSCO since 1999, deploying peacekeepers and sending humanitarian aid.

In 2013, the rebel group Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) surrendered to the government. This surrender, however, did little to ease the fighting and armed groups splintered even further. There are reported to be 70 armed groups operating in the region.[12] One of the major groups continuing to perpetrate violence in the region has been the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist group with Ugandan origins, which in the last decade has transformed from a low level insurgent group to one of the most powerful factions in Kivu.[13][14]

The ADF has been accused by Ugandan and U.N. officials of having links to foreign

terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab; however, these links are widely considered dubious due to a lack of strong evidence.[15] In 2016, the ADF were suspected to have been behind the Beni massacre, infiltrating the city of Beni in North Kivu during the night of 14 August and killing 64–101 people, many of them by hacking.[citation needed] In October 2017, the ADF was blamed for an attack on a U.N. base that killed two Tanzanian peacekeepers and wounded twelve others in Beni.[16] The same month, ADF fighters killed 22 people, many of them state officials, in the Beni region, when they ambushed a convoy of motorcycles with machetes and guns.[17]

Attack

Medical evacuation from Beni Airport of peacekeepers wounded in the attack, 8 December 2017.

Shortly before 5:00 pm on December 7, 2017, a large group of armed individuals wearing

armored personnel carriers, an ambulance, and a truck.[18] Fighting lasted until 8:00 pm when ADF fighters withdrew.[19] The attack resulted in the deaths of fifteen United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania and wounded 53 others. Additionally, one peacekeeper remains missing.[4] A further five Congolese government troops were killed. According to a Congolese army captain, 72 ADF fighters were killed though this number remains unconfirmed.[20]

Aftermath and reaction

Portraits of the fourteen fallen peacekeepers.

The attack on the

U.S. Department of State said it was "horrified" by the attack and the department's Bureau of African Affairs expressed its "deepest condolences" to the families of those killed or wounded.[23]

References

  1. ^ "North Kivu – Attack on MONUSCO troops at Semuliki, at least 14 Peacekeepers and 5 FARDC soldiers killed". MONUSCO. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  2. ^ "Attack on Peacekeepers in DRC Indicates Increasing Extremist Activity". Atlantic Council. 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  3. ^ Burke, Jason (2017-12-08). "Islamist attack kills at least 15 UN peacekeepers and five soldiers in DRC". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  4. ^ a b "UN announces special probe into attacks on peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo". 6 January 2018.
  5. ^ Sieff, Kevin (8 December 2017). "At least 15 U.N. peacekeepers killed in attack in Congo". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  6. ^ "26 U.N. Troops Reported Dead in Somalia Combat". The New York Times. 1993-06-06. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  7. ^ "North Kivu factsheet" (PDF). UNMissions.org. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  8. ^ "United Nations Attacks Fast Facts". CNN. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  9. ^ "DR Congo: New 'Kivu Security Tracker' Maps Eastern Violence". HRW.org. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  10. ^ "North Kivu Factsheet" (PDF). UNMissions.org. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  11. ^ "Rebellion and Conflict Minerals in North Kivu - ACCORD". Accord.org.za. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  12. ^ Rebellion and Conflict Minerals in North Kivu 2 May 2017 By Gavin Lyall for African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes http://www.css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/articles/article.html/37608c2e-4993-4d97-a74d-1ad3141df2e5/pdf
  13. ^ "Fugitive Ugandan Islamist rebel leader held: report". AFP. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  14. hdl:10067/1353420151162165141
    .
  15. ^ Titeca, Kristof (27 September 2016). "Jihadis in Congo? Probably not". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016.
  16. ^ "UN Tanzanian peacekeepers ambushed and killed in Democratic Republic of Congo - News". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. ^ Gladstone, Rick; Cowell, Alan (8 December 2017). "At Least 15 U.N. Peacekeepers Are Killed in Congo". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  18. ^ Burke, Jason (8 December 2017). "Islamist attack kills at least 15 UN peacekeepers and five soldiers in DRC". The Guardian.
  19. ^ Lualaba, Yves. "AroniSmart - U.N. peacekeepers killed in attack in Congo: Questions remain on attackers". Afro America. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  20. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  21. ^ Dorcas McCoy, "American Post-Cold War Images and Foreign Policy Preferences Toward 'Dependent' States: A Case Study of Somalia," World Affairs 163, no. 1 (Summer 2000): 43.
  22. ^ "Secretary-General's remarks on the attack on peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [as delivered] | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  23. ^ "The Latest: Tanzania president in shock over UN Congo attack". AP NEWS. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2017_Semuliki_attack&oldid=1174543780"