UN peacekeeper succumbs to wounds after ambush in DR of Congo

A Nepalese United Nations peacekeeper wounded yesterday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has died of his wounds, according to a UN spokesman.

A Nepalese United Nations peacekeeper wounded yesterday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has died of his wounds, according to a UN spokesman.

The peacekeeper had been leading the evacuation of troops who had come under fire while providing security for a human rights team that was investigating the reported rape and abduction of women in the troubled Ituri province.

Meanwhile, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric also reports that a South African peacekeeper remains in critical condition after being shot in the head today while monitoring the conduct of elections near a polling station in Burundi.

Yesterday, in Haiti, two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were wounded when the armoured personnel carrier they were travelling on came under fire, the spokesman said. Those soldiers are reportedly out of mortal danger.

The 115 UN peacekeepers who lost their lives in the course of duty in 2004 were honoured this past Friday at UN Headquarters in New York to mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers.