UN Mission in DR of Congo pays tribute to latest two of 27 fallen soldiers

The United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has paid tribute to two soldiers whose deaths in March brought the toll for peacekeepers in the country to 27.

The mission, known as MONUC, identified the two men as Corp. Anibal Dos Santos of Uruguay, killed in a road accident in Uvira on 19 March and Pvt. Mothapo Alpheus Seakalala of South Africa, killed on Tuesday by unidentified gunmen in Kavumu, 30 kilometres north of Bukavu.

Both joined MONUC in November 2003, four years after the Security Council set up the mission.

"The peacekeepers to whom we give honour and praise today came from diverse backgrounds and corners of the globe and from different cultures just to say 'no' to war and fulfil one common mission: the restoration of peace by means of weapons such as: negotiation, diplomacy and, in case of failure, every other necessary means to protect civilians," MONUC chief William Lacy Swing said on Wednesday.

The ceremony gave MONUC members an opportunity to reflect on why they were in the DRC and to remember the 3 million Congolese who died in conflicts and the millions more who were displaced, he said.

MONUC Force Commander Gen. Samaila Iliya said he hoped the investigation into the death of Private Seakalala would bring out the facts about the attack on him.