“This new attack against six members of the same family in Mutarule on Wednesday is unacceptable and I strongly condemn this crime,” declared Martin Kobler, head of the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) in a statement.

Following the killings, MONUSCO forces were immediately placed on alert and are joining forces with the Congolese security forces to locate the assailants in order to bring them to justice.

“The Mission has increased its patrols to better protect the population. Ensuring peace is a primarily in the hands of the Congolese. I therefore call the inhabitants of the Ruzizi plain to calm and restraint to avoid an escalation,” stressed  Kobler.

Just last week,  Kobler briefed the UN Security Council on the situation in the DRC, saying that while the security situation there had vastly improved compared to this time last year, it remained fragile. While many “armed groups have been sent to the history books,” the DRC Government believes that there are still thousands of combatants in the country, he added.

Special Representative and head of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) Martin Kobler. Photo MONUSCO/Myriam Asmani