2017 Semuliki attack

Last updated
2017 Semuliki attack
Part of Allied Democratic Forces insurgency
Ceremonie d'hommage aux 14 soldats tues a Semuliki, decembre 2017.jpg
Funeral ceremony paying tribute to the fallen Tanzanian soldiers, in Beni, 11 December 2017.
Date7 December 2017
Location
Semuliki, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Result Indecisive
Belligerents

Flag of the United Nations.svg MONUSCO [1]

Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  Democratic Republic of the Congo 		Flag of the Allied Democratic Forces.svg Allied Democratic Forces (suspected) [2]
Strength
Allegedly several hundred
Casualties and losses
Flag of the United Nations.svg 15 peacekeepers killed
53 wounded [3]
1 missing [4]
2 APCs destroyed
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg 5 soldiers killed		 72 killed (Congolese claim)

The 2017 Semuliki attack was an attack carried out by elements of the Allied Democratic Forces on a United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) operating base in the Beni Territory, North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on December 7, 2017. The attack was highly coordinated and resulted in the deaths of fifteen U.N. peacekeeping personnel and wounds to 53 others [5] making it the deadliest incident for the U.N. since the deaths of twenty-four Pakistani peacekeepers in an ambush in Somalia in 1993. [6] The attack was among many of the latest flare-ups in violence in the North Kivu region which borders Uganda and Rwanda [7] and one of the ADF's deadliest attacks in recent history. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres labeled the attack, "the worst attack on UN peacekeepers in the organization's recent history." [8]

Contents

Background

Since the early 1990s, the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has been a hotbed of ethnic violence and human rights violations [9] partially because the area is located adjacent to Rwanda and Uganda. The porous borders and intersecting ethnic groups have led to heavy fighting between rival militias and the Congolese army. [10] Much of the fighting has been over the access to mineral deposits which are plentiful in the region and the Kivu conflict has led to the deaths of thousands of people and the displacement of millions more. [11] The United Nations has maintained an international presence in the region under the banner of MONUSCO since 1999, deploying peacekeepers and sending humanitarian aid.

In 2013, the rebel group Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23) surrendered to the government. This surrender, however, did little to ease the fighting and armed groups splintered even further. There are reported to be 70 armed groups operating in the region. [12] One of the major groups continuing to perpetrate violence in the region has been the Allied Democratic Forces, an Islamist group with Ugandan origins, which in the last decade has transformed from a low level insurgent group to one of the most powerful factions in Kivu. [13] [14]

The ADF has been accused by Ugandan and U.N. officials of having links to foreign terrorist groups such as Al-Shabaab; however, these links are widely considered dubious due to a lack of strong evidence. [15] In 2016, the ADF were suspected to have been behind the Beni massacre, infiltrating the city of Beni in North Kivu during the night of 14 August and killing 64–101 people, many of them by hacking.[ citation needed ] In October 2017, the ADF was blamed for an attack on a U.N. base that killed two Tanzanian peacekeepers and wounded twelve others in Beni. [16] The same month, ADF fighters killed 22 people, many of them state officials, in the Beni region, when they ambushed a convoy of motorcycles with machetes and guns. [17]

Attack

Medical evacuation from Beni Airport of peacekeepers wounded in the attack, 8 December 2017. Medical evacuation of Peacekeepers wounded after Semuliki attach, December 2017.jpg
Medical evacuation from Beni Airport of peacekeepers wounded in the attack, 8 December 2017.

Shortly before 5:00 pm on December 7, 2017, a large group of armed individuals wearing Congolese army uniforms appeared at the gate of the MONUSCO base located on the banks of the Semliki River. Expecting Congolese troops, the U.N. peacekeepers let the armed men in who promptly began attacking the base's communications infrastructure, severing connection with reinforcements, although the peacekeepers were able to send a distress call before communications were cut. The Tanzanian peacekeepers returned fire, and ADF reinforcements arrived who outnumbered the peacekeepers. ADF fighters were heavily armed with mortars and rocket-propelled grenades and destroyed many U.N. vehicles, including two armored personnel carriers, an ambulance, and a truck. [18] Fighting lasted until 8:00 pm when ADF fighters withdrew. [19] The attack resulted in the deaths of fifteen United Nations peacekeepers from Tanzania and wounded 53 others. Additionally, one peacekeeper remains missing. [4] A further five Congolese government troops were killed. According to a Congolese army captain, 72 ADF fighters were killed though this number remains unconfirmed. [20]

Aftermath and reaction

Portraits of the fourteen fallen peacekeepers. A la memoire des 14 soldats tanzaniens tues.jpg
Portraits of the fourteen fallen peacekeepers.

The attack on the Semuliki river MONUSCO outpost was the deadliest attack on peacekeepers in the United Nations' history since twenty-four Pakistani peacekeepers were killed in Somalia in 1993. [21] U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres in a statement condemning the attack said, "I condemn this attack unequivocally. These deliberate attacks against UN peacekeepers are unacceptable and constitute a war crime. I call on the DRC authorities to investigate this incident and swiftly bring the perpetrators to justice. There must be no impunity for such assaults, here or anywhere else." [22] President John Magufuli of Tanzania expressed shock, urged calm, and prayers for the speedy recovery of those injured in the attack. The U.S. Department of State said it was "horrified" by the attack and the department's Bureau of African Affairs expressed its "deepest condolences" to the families of those killed or wounded. [23]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MONUSCO</span> UN peacekeeping force in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or MONUSCO, an acronym based on its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en République démocratique du Congo, is a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which was established by the United Nations Security Council in resolutions 1279 (1999) and 1291 (2000) to monitor the peace process of the Second Congo War, though much of its focus subsequently turned to the Ituri conflict, the Kivu conflict and the Dongo conflict. The mission was known as the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo or MONUC, an acronym of its French name Mission de l'Organisation des Nations Unies en République démocratique du Congo, until 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied Democratic Forces</span> Ugandan rebel group

The Allied Democratic Forces is an Islamist rebel group in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), considered a terrorist organisation by the Ugandan government. It was originally based in western Uganda but has expanded into the neighbouring DRC. Most Ugandan ADF fighters are Muslims from the Baganda and Basoga ethnic groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni, Democratic Republic of the Congo</span> City in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Beni is a city in north eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, lying immediately west of the Virunga National Park and the Rwenzori Mountains, on the edge of the Ituri Forest.

Operation North Night Final was a joint DR Congo-UN peacekeeper operation in December 2005 to restore peace in the troubled Ituri district of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The operation was mainly aimed at fighting the Ugandan rebels stationed there and involved ca. 3,500 Congolese troops, supported by 600 UN peacekeepers using helicopter gunships. The attacks happened at the time of a referendum on a new constitution. The operation began when the Allied Democratic Forces launched a counter-attack against the Congolese and UN soldiers in North Kivu province. An Indian peacekeeper and three Congolese soldiers were killed in this attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kivu conflict</span> Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The Kivu conflict is an umbrella term for a series of protracted armed conflicts in the North Kivu and South Kivu provinces in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo which have occurred since the end of the Second Congo War. Including neighboring Ituri province, there are more than 120 different armed groups active in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Currently, some of the most active rebel groups include the Allied Democratic Forces, the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo, the March 23 Movement, and many local Mai Mai militias. In addition to rebel groups and the governmental FARDC troops, a number of national and international organizations have intervened militarily in the conflict, including the United Nations force known as MONUSCO, and an East African Community regional force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">M23 rebellion</span> 2012–2013, 2020-present conflict in the DRC

The M23 rebellion was an armed conflict in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), that occurred between the March 23 Movement and government forces between 4 April 2012 and 7 November 2013. It ended when a peace agreement was made among eleven African nations, and the M23 troops surrendered in Uganda. The rebellion was part of continued fighting in the region after the formal end of the Second Congo War in 2003. The conflict reignited in late 2020 after rebel "general" Sultani Makenga and 100 rebel fighters attacked the border town of Bunagana but failed. A few months later, with a much larger force, the rebels of the M23 movement renewed their attack and captured Bunagana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Force Intervention Brigade</span> Military unit

The United Nations Force Intervention Brigade (FIB) is a military formation which constitutes part of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO). It was authorized by the United Nations Security Council on 28 March 2013 through Resolution 2098. Although it is not the first instance in which the use of force was authorized by the UN, the Force Intervention Brigade is the first UN peacekeeping operation specifically tasked to carry out targeted offensive operations to "neutralize and disarm" groups considered a threat to state authority and civilian security. In this case, the main target was the M23 militia group, as well as other Congolese and foreign rebel groups. While such operations do not require the support of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC), the Force Intervention Brigade often acts in unison with the FARDC to disarm rebel groups.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allied Democratic Forces insurgency</span> Islamist insurgency in the DR Congo and Uganda

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lubero</span> Place in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beni massacre</span> 2016 massacre in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic State – Central Africa Province</span> Central African branch of the Islamic State

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 MONUSCO helicopter crash</span> Attack on a U.N Peacekeeping Force Helicopter in Tshanzu

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">M23 offensive (2022–2023)</span> Conflict in the DR Congo

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On the night on June 5, 2022, militants from Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked the village of Bwanasura, in Otomabere, North Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The attack killed over twenty civilians, marking one of the deadliest attacks by the ADF in 2022.

During 8–9 March 2023, the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) carried out a massacre in the village of Mukondi in North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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References

  1. ↑ "North Kivu – Attack on MONUSCO troops at Semuliki, at least 14 Peacekeepers and 5 FARDC soldiers killed". MONUSCO. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  2. ↑ "Attack on Peacekeepers in DRC Indicates Increasing Extremist Activity". Atlantic Council. 2014-09-29. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  3. ↑ Burke, Jason (2017-12-08). "Islamist attack kills at least 15 UN peacekeepers and five soldiers in DRC". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  4. 1 2 "UN announces special probe into attacks on peacekeepers in eastern DR Congo". 6 January 2018.
  5. ↑ Sieff, Kevin (8 December 2017). "At least 15 U.N. peacekeepers killed in attack in Congo" . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 11 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  6. ↑ "26 U.N. Troops Reported Dead in Somalia Combat". The New York Times . 1993-06-06. Retrieved 2018-01-10.
  7. ↑ "North Kivu factsheet" (PDF). UNMissions.org. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "United Nations Attacks Fast Facts". CNN. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  9. ↑ "DR Congo: New 'Kivu Security Tracker' Maps Eastern Violence". HRW.org. 7 December 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  10. ↑ "North Kivu Factsheet" (PDF). UNMissions.org. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  11. ↑ "Rebellion and Conflict Minerals in North Kivu - ACCORD". Accord.org.za. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  12. ↑ Rebellion and Conflict Minerals in North Kivu 2 May 2017 By Gavin Lyall for African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes http://www.css.ethz.ch/en/services/digital-library/articles/article.html/37608c2e-4993-4d97-a74d-1ad3141df2e5/pdf
  13. ↑ "Fugitive Ugandan Islamist rebel leader held: report". AFP. 30 April 2015. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Titeca, Kristof; Fahey, Daniel (2016). "The many faces of a rebel group: the Allied Democratic Forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo". International Affairs. 92 (5): 1189–1206. doi:10.1111/1468-2346.12703. hdl: 10067/1353420151162165141 .
  15. ↑ Titeca, Kristof (27 September 2016). "Jihadis in Congo? Probably not" . The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "UN Tanzanian peacekeepers ambushed and killed in Democratic Republic of Congo - News". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  17. ↑ Gladstone, Rick; Cowell, Alan (8 December 2017). "At Least 15 U.N. Peacekeepers Are Killed in Congo". The New York Times . Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  18. ↑ Burke, Jason (8 December 2017). "Islamist attack kills at least 15 UN peacekeepers and five soldiers in DRC". The Guardian .
  19. ↑ Lualaba, Yves. "AroniSmart - U.N. peacekeepers killed in attack in Congo: Questions remain on attackers". Afro America. Retrieved 2018-01-03.
  20. ↑ Gladstone, Rick; Cowell, Alan (2017-12-08). "At Least 15 U.N. Peacekeepers Are Killed in Congo". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  21. ↑ Dorcas McCoy, "American Post-Cold War Images and Foreign Policy Preferences Toward 'Dependent' States: A Case Study of Somalia," World Affairs 163, no. 1 (Summer 2000): 43.
  22. ↑ "Secretary-General's remarks on the attack on peacekeepers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [as delivered] | United Nations Secretary-General". www.un.org. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
  23. ↑ "The Latest: Tanzania president in shock over UN Congo attack". AP NEWS. 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2023-04-18.
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