Three members of the United Nation’s peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo were kidnapped today in the eastern North Kivu province, a UN source said.
The MONUSCO peacekeepers were kidnapped in the town of Kibumba, about 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu, on Thursday.
MONUSCO is a 20,000-strong force tasked with a stabilization mission in the African country.
Two Congolese members of a demining team were among the abducted people and the other was part of the international UN team, the source added.
A Congolese army officer said a UN vehicle had been recovered near the presumed site of their abduction.
“The motor was turning and the car was empty,” he added.
Earlier this week, the UN called on the DR Congo to respect the civil liberties of its citizens and provide political space for the opposition amid increasing tensions ahead of elections scheduled to be held next year.
