Death penalty for the murderers of the Italian ambassador

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (KDC), 6 people accused of killing the Italian Ambassador in Kinshasa, Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard and driver, have been sentenced to death.

The Kinshasa Military Court announced on February 22, 2021 that 6 people were sentenced to death for the murder of Ambassador Attanasio, 43, his driver and his bodyguard, in the eastern city of Goma. In the country, the death penalty has not been applied for the last 20 years, and death sentences presented before a higher court are often commuted to life imprisonment.

On February 22, 2021, an armed group of rebels attacked the World Food Program (WFP) convoy on the road from Goma, in the east of the country, to Rutshuru, in the north. Ambassador Attanasio, security guard Vittorio Lacovacci and driver Mustafa Milambo were killed in the attack.

The KDC government announced that the attack was organized by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). (AA)