UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks to the press at the UN headquarters in New York, on Aug. 1, 2022. (Xinhua/Xie E)
The UN chief stressed the need to establish accountability for these events and welcomed the decision of his special representative in the DRC, Bintou Keita, to detain the peacekeepers involved in the incident and to immediately open an investigation.
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday spoke to President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and apologized for Sunday's incident, where UN peacekeepers opened fire and killed two residents in a border town.
In a phone conversation, Guterres conveyed his condolences and apologized for the incident, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.
The secretary-general said the United Nations is totally committed to peace and to coordinating and working with the Congolese armed forces, and that effective dialogue is needed to solve the situation and bring about stability in eastern DRC, according to the spokesman.
On Sunday, Guterres expressed outrage following the incident that took place in Kasindi, North Kivu province, on the border of the DRC and Uganda. In addition to the two deaths, 15 other people were injured in the deadly incident, said the DRC authorities.
The UN chief also stressed the need to establish accountability for these events and welcomed the decision of his special representative in the DRC, Bintou Keita, to detain the peacekeepers involved in the incident and to immediately open an investigation. ■