Four members of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) were ambushed and assaulted on Saturday by a group of 30 unidentified armed people 15 km south of Kanyabayonga, in North Kivu.
The assailants, who were armed with AK-47 assault rifles and machetes, stripped the four observers working with MONUC of their communication equipment and property, and wounded one of them with a machete, said a statement issued by MONUC on Monday.
"MONUC reminds the de facto authorities in control of eastern DRC that they are responsible for the security of MONUC staff," said the statement, stressing that the perpetrators of the attack should be found and brought to justice.
The organisation added that the parties to the Lusaka peace agreement had requested its presence on DRC territory, and that MONUC could not, therefore, be considered as to be a party to the conflict.
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