A Uruguayan member of the UN peacekeeping force fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has been killed, and four others wounded, Uruguay’s military announced Saturday.
UN peacekeepers have been involved in raging clashes between the DR Congo’s army and Rwandan-backed M23 fighters, with its heavy artillery firing against M23 positions. Some 15,000 peacekeepers are present in the DRC.
Fighting has raged in the region despite calls from the international community for the M23 rebels to halt their advance on Goma, the key city in the mineral-rich east and home to more than one million people.
The Uruguayan peacekeepers were wrapping up a one-year mission, army spokesman Colonel Fernando Botti told AFP. Their replacements were due to arrive next week, but flights have been suspended until further notice.
The Uruguayan unit “was working 24 hours a day, seven days a week to… ensure the evacuation of non-essential civilian and military personnel from the city of Goma,” the Uruguayan army said in a statement.
Uruguay provides hundreds of soldiers to the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC. The last rotation among Uruguayan peacekeepers took place in February 2024, according to the military.
