Crime scene

A Kenyan military officer was killed on Friday, March 28, while on a peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR).

The officer of the Kenya Army was the only fatality in the ambush. He had been deployed to the conflict-ridden country in February as a military observer.

A statement from the United Nations (UN) Spokesperson’s office, issued on behalf of Secretary-General António Guterres, confirmed the attack.

The statement noted that the peacekeeper was killed by unknown assailants while on a long-range patrol near the village of Tabane in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture, southeast CAR.

“The Secretary-General expresses his deepest condolences to the family of the fallen peacekeeper and to the Government and the people of Kenya,” the statement said.

“The Secretary-General recalls that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law. He calls on the Central African authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of this tragedy so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.”

The Central African Republic, or CAR, has been in a state of internal conflict along sectarian lines since 2012 when predominantly Muslim militia began battling mostly Christian anti-Balaka militia, resulting in thousands of deaths and leaving many more dependent on aid.

In 2013, armed groups seized the capital forcing President François Bozizé to flee. After a brief period of reduced violence in 2015, and elections held in 2016, fighting intensified.

Peace talks got underway in early 2019 under the auspices of the African Initiative for Peace and Reconciliation in CAR, led by the African Union (AU) with UN support.

A deal was agreed in Khartoum and formally signed in CAR’s capital, Bangui.

The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for the Central African Republic and Head of Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA), Valentine Rugwabiza, strongly condemned the ambush carried out against a MINUSCA Force patrol near the village of Tabane, 24 km northwest of Zemio, in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture.

“A Kenyan peacekeeper was killed in this extremely violent attack perpetrated by unidentified armed elements,” a statement said.

“The Special Representative is extremely shocked by this heinous attack on peacekeepers whose mission is to protect civilians. She extends her deepest condolences to the Government and people of Kenya and expresses her full sympathy to the victim's family.”

A rapid intervention team has been deployed to the site of the incident to secure the area.

She reaffirmed that such cowardly attacks against the Mission's peacekeepers will not diminish MINUSCA's determination to carry out its mandate in service of peace and stability in the Central African Republic.

The UN Security Council said in a statement on Sunday condemning the attack in CAR, reiterating that attacks against peacekeepers may constitute war crimes, and reminding all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law. 

Ambassadors called on the government to "swiftly investigate this attack with the support of MINUSCA, promote accountability for such acts by bringing perpetrators to justice, and keep the relevant troop-contributing country informed of the progress consistent with Security Council resolutions 2518 (2020) and 2589 (2021). 

Council members stressed any involvement in planning, directing, sponsoring or conducting attacks against peacekeepers constitutes a basis for possible sanctions.