Indian peacekeepers foil Looting bid by civilian armed groups in Congo

Kinshasa, July 25: The Indian Army on Monday thwarted attempts by civilian armed groups in Congo to loot Indian Army operating bases and a hospital, ANI reported. The development came as certain civilian armed groups attempted large-scale looting of UN assets in Congo.

"Indian Army today thwarted attempts by certain civilian armed groups in Congo to loot Indian Army operating bases and Level III hospital by robust actions. The actions by Indian peacekeepers deployed there are strictly in accordance with UN mandate and rules of engagement," ANI quoted Army officials as saying.

The Army said there were reports of certain UN office complexes being ransacked and they were closely monitoring the situation.

"Indian Peacekeepers have ensured safety of UN personnel and property in locations of their deployment. The situation in UN peacekeeping mission in Congo (MONUSCO) had developed wherein certain civilian armed groups attempted large-scale looting of UN assets," the Army said.

The Indian Army, as part of United Nations Peacekeeping force, has its presence in eight out of 14 United Nations Missions worldwide and currently has over 5,400 military personnel deployed under the UN flag.

In May, an armed group launched an unprovoked attack on MONUSCO (United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo) and FARDC (Congolese Army) positions in Congo. The Indian Army and troops of other nationalities under the UN flag fended off the attack by carrying out a coordinated resistance with the FARDC.

In a statement on May 24, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the attack and called it a "deliberate attack targeting peacekeepers".