GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - At least seven U.N. peacekeepers were killed in clashes with militias in an area that is at the center of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s worst Ebola epidemic, United Nations and diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

“Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania who are part of the U.N. peacekeeping operation in the DRC ... were killed yesterday, in Beni territory, in North Kivu,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

Eastern Congo has been plagued by banditry and armed insurrections for more than two decades since the fall of military ruler Mobutu Sese Seko, but the past year has seen a surge in violence around North Kivu.

Beni and the surrounding villages are also suffering an Ebola epidemic that has infected over 300 people and killed two-thirds of them.

This makes it the third worst outbreak ever, after a 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa, when 28,000 people were infected, and in Uganda in 2000, when there were 425 cases.

Repeated armed attacks by at least two rebel groups are hampering international efforts to contain the virus, by preventing medical workers getting to Ebola victims.

A U.N. spokesman said that Secretary General Antonio Guterres “calls on all armed groups to stop their destabilizing activities, which continue to add to the suffering of the population and complicate the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak”.</s>At least seven United Nations peacekeepers stationed in the Democratic Republic of Congo have reportedly been killed in clashes.

A report from the Reuters news agency Thursday afternoon cited clashes with militias near Beni, a town located in the eastern part of the conflicted country.

The news comes as the DRC struggles with its worst-ever breakout of Ebola.

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“Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania who are part of the UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC … were killed yesterday, in Beni territory,” the agency quoted U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric as telling reporters in New York.

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Earlier Thursday, Reuters also reported four Malawian peacekeepers had been killed by rebel attacks, also in the eastern part of the country.

It is not yet clear whether those four Malawian peacekeepers are included in the seven killed by militias near Beni.

The peacekeepers are all in the country as part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

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Nine members of the Canadian Forces are also deployed to that mission under what is known as Operation Crocodile.

None are stationed in the Beni area and no Canadian members on the mission were among those killed, a spokesperson for the military has confirmed.

Canadian peacekeepers are stationed in the cities of Kinshasa and Goma.

Goma is in the eastern part of Congo but is roughly an 11-hour drive south of Beni.

Kinshasa is located in the western part of the country and would be about a 49-hour drive from Beni.</s>GOMA, Congo (Reuters) - At least seven U.N. peacekeepers were killed in clashes with militias near the east Congolese town of Beni, at the center of the country’s worst ever Ebola epidemic, United Nations and diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

“Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania who are part of the UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC ... were killed yesterday, in Beni territory, in North Kivu,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.

East Congo has been plagued by banditry and armed insurrections for more than two decades since the fall of former military ruler Mobutu Sese Seko, but the past year has seen a surge in violence around North Kivu.

Beni and the surrounding villages are also suffering an Ebola epidemic that has infected over 300 people and killed two thirds of them.

This makes it the third worst outbreak ever after a 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa when 28,000 people were infected and in Uganda in 2000 when there were 425 cases.

Constant armed attacks by at least two rebel groups in the region are hampering international efforts to contain the virus, by preventing medical workers from gaining access to Ebola victims.</s>WASHINGTON - Seven United Nations peacekeepers were killed during an operation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Wednesday along with an unknown number of Congolese military forces during an operation in North Kivu province, where international health workers are battling an Ebola epidemic, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Thursday.

“Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania, who were part of the UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC were killed yesterday in Beni territory in North Kivu,” Dujarric said. “This is the area where there is an Ebola outbreak and insecurity has been an obstacle to the response to the outbreak.”

Dujarric said initial reports indicate that another 10 peacekeepers were wounded, while one more is missing. Several soldiers from the Congolese armed forces were also reportedly killed or wounded during the operation.

The peacekeepers were killed during a joint operation carried out by the UN peacekeeping mission and the Congolese armed forces against the Allied Democratic (ADF) rebel group.

UN officials have warned for weeks that fighting in North Kivu was hampering an international response to the Ebola outbreak, which has infected around 300 people and killed nearly two-thirds of them, according to the Congolese Ministry of Public Health.

AFP adds: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing in a statement and called on armed groups to disarm immediately.

Six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania were killed during the operation Wednesday against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group blamed for a series of attacks.

The ADF, operating in North Kivu province near the Ugandan border, has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of civilians since 2014 as well as of 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers last December.

The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO has about 17,000 troops and police.

Six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania were killed during the operation Wednesday against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group blamed for a series of attacks.</s>UNITED NATIONS: Seven peacekeepers were killed and 10 others were wounded during a joint military operation with troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo against rebels in the east of the country, a UN spokesman said Thursday.Another UN peacekeeper is missing from the fighting near the city of Beni in North Kivu, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.</s>Seven United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an operation against a rebel militia in eastern DR Congo, the UN said on Thursday.

Ten other peacekeeping troops were wounded, and another is missing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York.

Several Congolese were also killed or wounded in the joint operation, he said.

The deaths mark the biggest loss by the large UN force in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the rebels killed 15 troops nearly a year ago.

Earlier Thursday, General Bernard Commins, deputy head of the MONUSCO force, said a joint operation had been launched with DRC troops on Tuesday against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a jihadi group blamed for bloody attacks on civilians.

The offensive aimed at Kididiwe, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Beni, a city of between 200,000 and 300,000 inhabitants, said Commins.

"We are holding Kididiwe at present, after violent fighting with an armed group. At present, we are evacuating wounded Congolese troops and Blue Helmets," he told AFP. He added he was unable to provide any information about reports at that time of fatalities.

Six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania were killed, the UN said in New York.

Malawi's armed forces confirmed earlier that four of its soldiers with MONUSCO -- a sergeant and three privates aged between 29 and 38 -- had been killed on Wednesday.

The military "has lost courageous, hardworking and disciplined soldiers who were always ready to serve to ensure that peace prevails," the Malawi Defence Force said in a statement.

It gave no further details on where or how they died.

Commins described Kididiwe as a "major stronghold" of the ADF.

A Congolese officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the town had been used as a springboard for militia attacks on Beni's suburbs this year.

On Wednesday, Commins said MONUSCO had deployed attack helicopters against ADF forces threatening UN troops in the Mayangose area, northeast of Beni.

The region is also battling an Ebola outbreak that has left more than 200 dead. Insecurity is hampering efforts to contain the disease, the UN spokesman said.

The ADF is an Islamist-rooted group that rose in western Uganda in 1995, led by Jamil Mukulu, a Christian turned Muslim.

Forced out of Uganda, it operates in the border area in the DRC's North Kivu province.

It has been blamed for recruiting and using child soldiers, killing hundreds of civilians since 2014, as well as 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers, who died in an attack in December 2017.

Those fatalities were the biggest loss of life in a UN peacekeeping force since 1993 when 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed in Somalia during clashes with a local warlord.

On Monday, MONUSCO's head, Leila Zerrougui, sounded the alarm over violence in the eastern DRC, saying it cast a shadow over the country's elections on December 23.

"I have grown increasingly alarmed over the situation in Beni in recent months, where we continue to face major challenges in implementing our mandate," she added.

"There is a potential for armed group interference in elections in specific areas throughout eastern DRC," she said.

MONUSCO has around 17,000 members, making it one of the UN's biggest peacekeeping operations. Created in 1999 during the Second Congo War, it has an annual budget of $1.153 billion (1.02 billion euros).</s>About seven United Nations (UN) peacekeepers are reported to have died in a clash with militias in an area that is at the center of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s worst Ebola epidemic.

Following some lawlessness that aroused in the country, some peacekeepers who were sent to maintain order in a particular area in the country rattled with some soldiers hence causing about seven people’s death.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric on Thursday, November 15, 2018 said, “Our peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania who are part of the U.N. peacekeeping operation in the DRC ... were killed yesterday, in Beni territory, in North Kivu,”.

For more than two decades, since the fall of military ruler Mobutu Sese Seko, Eastern Congo has been beset by violence and armed rebellions but the past year has seen a spate in violence around North Kivu.

Beni and the surrounding villages are also suffering an Ebola endemic affecting over 300 people leaving about two-thirds of them dead.

This is the third worst outbreak ever, after a 2013-2016 outbreak in West Africa, when 28,000 people were infected, and in Uganda in 2000, when there were 425 cases.

Repeated armed attacks by at least two rebel groups are impeding international efforts to contain the virus, by thwarting medical workers from getting to Ebola victims.

One UN spokesman who spoke on behalf of General Antonio Guterres appealed that, “all armed groups must stop their destabilizing activities, which continue to add to the suffering of the population and complicate the response to the ongoing Ebola outbreak.”</s>United Nations: Seven peacekeepers were killed and 10 others were wounded during a joint military operation with troops from the Democratic Republic of Congo against rebels in the east of the country, a UN spokesman said Thursday.

Another UN peacekeeper is missing from the fighting near the city of Beni in North Kivu, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the killing in a statement and called on armed groups to disarm immediately.

Six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania were killed during the operation Wednesday against rebels of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group blamed for a series of attacks. "Initial reports indicate that ten additional peacekeepers were wounded, and another one is missing," said Dujarric, adding that several Congolese soldiers were also killed or wounded during the operations.

The UN spokesman declined to give details of the joint operation but said it was linked to efforts to combat the outbreak of Ebola. "As you know there is an Ebola outbreak in this area and insecurity has been an obstacle to the response to the outbreak," he said.

The ADF, operating in North Kivu province near the Ugandan border, has been blamed for the deaths of hundreds of civilians since 2014 as well as of 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers last December. The UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO has about 17,000 troops and police.</s>A joint military operation by the army of Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations peacekeeping force was dealt a deadly blow on Thursday, when seven UN peacekeepers were killed in the eastern part of the country.

Ten other peacekeeping troops were wounded, and another is missing, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in New York. He added that the dead included six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania.

Several Congolese were also killed or wounded in the joint operation, he said.

The deaths mark the biggest loss by the large UN force in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the rebels killed 15 troops nearly a year ago.

Earlier Thursday, General Bernard Commins, deputy head of the MONUSCO force, said a joint operation had been launched with DRC troops on Tuesday against the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a jihadi group blamed for bloody attacks on civilians.

The offensive aimed at Kididiwe, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Beni, a city of between 200,000 and 300,000 inhabitants, said Commins.

“We are holding Kididiwe at present, after violent fighting with an armed group. At present, we are evacuating wounded Congolese troops and Blue Helmets,” he told AFP. He added he was unable to provide any information about reports at that time of fatalities.

Commins described Kididiwe as a “major stronghold” of the ADF.

The region is also battling an Ebola outbreak that has left more than 200 dead. Insecurity is hampering efforts to contain the disease, the UN spokesman said.

Who are the ?

The ADF is an Islamist-rooted group that rose in western Uganda in 1995, led by Jamil Mukulu, a Christian turned Muslim.

Forced out of Uganda, it operates in the border area in the DRC’s North Kivu province.

The ADF has been blamed for recruiting and using child soldiers, killing hundreds of civilians since 2014, as well as 15 Tanzanian peacekeepers, who died in an attack in December 2017.

On Monday, MONUSCO’s head, Leila Zerrougui, sounded the alarm over violence in the eastern DRC, saying it cast a shadow over the country’s elections on December 23.

“I have grown increasingly alarmed over the situation in Beni in recent months, where we continue to face major challenges in implementing our mandate,” she added.

“There is a potential for armed group interference in elections in specific areas throughout eastern DRC,” she said.

MONUSCO has around 17,000 members, making it one of the UN’s biggest peacekeeping operations. Created in 1999 during the Second Congo War, it has an annual budget of $1.153 billion (1.02 billion euros).</s>(Reuters) - At least seven U.N. peacekeepers were killed in clashes with militias near the east Congolese town of Beni, at the centre of the country’s worst ever Ebola epidemic, the United Nations and diplomatic sources said on Thursday.

“Our Peacekeeping colleagues tell us that six peacekeepers from Malawi and one from Tanzania who are part of the UN peacekeeping operation in the DRC ... were killed yesterday, in Beni territory,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters in New York.
The United Nations announce that seven MONUSCO peacekeepers were killed in clashes with militia yesterday in Beni, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo.