Moroccan peacekeeper dies in DRC road accident

A Moroccan member of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and his local translator died in a road accident near Goma.

Four other Moroccan peacekeepers were injured in the accident and have been transferred to a UN hospital in Goma, MONUSCO said.

The accident occurred when a MONUSCO vehicle overturned after sliding into a ravine about 13 kilometers south of Kitchanga, in North Kivu province, MONUSCO said.

With 13,800 personnel deployed across the DRC, MONUSCO stands as the largest UN peacekeeping mission. To date, more than 400 UN personnel- both military and civilian -have lost their lives in the line of duty since the mission began.

North Kivu has been at the heart of a war opposing the DRC central government forces to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels.

The province was also plagued by the outbreak of the Mpox virus, which led the WHO to declare it a public health emergency of international concern in 2024.

Besides the DRC, Moroccan peacekeepers are also deployed in a UN mission in the Central African Republic.