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WORLD NEWS Saturday 9 december 2017

14 UN peacekeepers killed, 53 hurt in Congo attack

By S. MWANAMILONGO zania, and President John
EDITH M. LEDERER Magufuli expressed his
Associated Press shock and prayers for the
KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — wounded. At least five
In the deadliest single at- Congolese soldiers also
tack on a United Nations were killed in the attack
peacekeeping mission in Thursday evening that has
recent memory, rebels in been blamed on one of
eastern Congo killed at the region’s deadliest rebel
least 14 peacekeepers and groups.
wounded 53 others in an Three peacekeepers re-
assault on their base that mained missing, the U.N.
was launched at nightfall said. More than 20 were
and went on for hours. evacuated for medical
U.N. Secretary-General An- treatment in the regional
tonio Guterres expressed capital, Goma.
“outrage and utter heart- It was not clear when mili-
break” and called the tary reinforcements ar-
attack a war crime, urg- rived after the attack, the
ing Congolese authorities U.N. said. Conditions in
to swiftly investigate. The the region are “very, very
State Department’s Bureau challenging,” said U.N.
of African Affairs said it was peacekeeping chief Jean-
“horrified.” Pierre Lacroix, who said Two UN soldiers stand guard in Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo. Rebels attacked a United
Nations peacekeeping base in eastern Congo, killing at least 14 peacekeepers and wounding 40
It appeared to be the the attack followed a re- others Friday Dec. 8 2017, in the worst violence against the mission in this Central African country
deadliest attack on a U.N. cent increase in activities in years.
peacekeeping mission by various armed groups. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)
since June 1993, when 24 He called the assault a re- do not like it.” The peace- by the Allied Democratic intervention force, which
Pakistanis were killed in So- sponse to the U.N. mission’s keeping base is about 45 Forces rebel group, which has a rare mandate to go
malia. own “increasingly robust kilometers (27 miles) from is suspected in Thursday’s on the offensive against
The peacekeepers killed posture.” “We are disturb- the town of Beni, which has assault. The base is home armed groups in the vast,
Thursday were from Tan- ing them,” he said. “They been repeatedly attacked to the U.N. mission’s rapid mineral-rich region.q

Hundreds of West African migrants return home from Libya

By SAM OLUKOYA boring Niger, including north African country, of- plan for migrants, agree- know the name because
Associated Press children, returned home ten under inhumane con- ing to airlift at least 3,800 we never went out, only for
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Wednesday, part of an ditions, the AU Commission stranded in detention cen- beating sessions because I
Hundreds of West African expected mass voluntary chairman has said. ters across Libya. did not have money,” one
migrants who had been evacuation of 3,850 over Europe has struggled to Several West African na- of the migrants told the
stranded in Libya are re- the coming days, the U.N. stem the flow of tens of tions including Gambia, U.N. agency. “I have a lot
turning home as worried migration agency said. thousands of Africans mak- Cameroon and Ivory Coast of pain in my upper body.”
governments repatriate The African Union aims ing the dangerous crossing have begun bringing their Organizations including
them amid outrage over to return 20,000 migrants of the Mediterranean. But citizens home. Amnesty International and
slave auctions. from Libya over the next six many Africans still make the A flight with 167 migrants, Doctors Without Borders
Another 164 migrants re- weeks after international journey, risking death and including seven children, have criticized Europe, say-
turned to Nigeria early Fri- condemnation of slave abuse, saying pressure that returned to Guinea on ing its primary aim is to close
day, the latest group to be auctions in Libya revealed include high unemploy- Thursday, the U.N. migra- the often deadly smuggling
repatriated with help from by recent CNN footage. Be- ment and climate change tion agency said. Some of route across the Mediterra-
the European Union and tween 400,000 and 700,000 leave them little choice. them reported beatings nean and leave hundreds
the International Organiza- migrants are thought to be African and European while in detention cen- of thousands of migrants
tion for Migration. The first in more than 40 detention leaders last week drew up ters in Libya. “I spent three trapped in Libya and at risk
504 migrants from neigh- camps across the chaotic an emergency evacuation months in prison. I do not of horrific abuses.q