14 UN peacekeepers killed, over 40 wounded in Congo attack

Fourteen United Nations peacekeepers have been killed and more than 40 wounded in attack in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, U.N. officials said on Friday.

The attack happened on Thursday evening in North Kivu province where several armed groups are fighting for control of the mineral rich area.

The mission said it was coordinating a joint response with the Congolese army as well as medical evacuations of the wounded from the base in North Kivu’s Beni territory.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described it as the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in recent history.

He sent his condolences to Tanzania, their home country.

Outraged by the attack against MONUSCO in #NorthKivu DRC last evening, where a large number of UN peacekeepers have been killed & wounded. Our thoughts & prayers with families & our colleagues in MONUSCO. Reinforcements are on scene & medical evacuations by Mission ongoing. pic.twitter.com/l84tFHYKMR

— Jean-Pierre Lacroix (Lacroix_UN) December 8, 2017

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo is the largest in the world and is aimed at calming a number of armed groups in the vast, mineral-rich Central African nation.