UN peacekeeper wounded in eastern DRC rebel attack

UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Rebels wounded a member of a UN peacekeeping patrol deployed to protect civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a UN spokesman said on Tuesday.

"Suspected members of a Mayi-Mayi armed group attacked a UN patrol dispatched near Butembo, in North Kivu province, leaving one peacekeeper wounded," said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. "The injured peacekeeper was evacuated to Goma for medical treatment and is reportedly in stable condition."

The identity of the peacekeeper's country was not immediately released.

Haq said the patrol from the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, was deployed in response to recent attacks on civilians by Allied Democratic Forces late last week that killed at least 42 civilians.

He also said that in North Kivu, in response to recent clashes between the M23 armed group and the Congolese armed forces in Kanyabayonga, MONUSCO continues to deploy joint patrols with government armed forces to protect the population.

"These patrols are contributing to restoring a sense of safety, encouraging a small number of residents to cautiously return to the area," the spokesman said. ■