A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier, believed to be from Pretoria, has been shot dead, apparently by a sniper, near a United Nations base in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The soldier, whom high-ranking SANDF officers refused to name, was walking to the base from a local market in Bukavu, situated on the eastern border of the DRC near Rwanda, when he was shot with a high-powered rifle.
The region where he was killed, known as the South Kivu area, is one of the most volatile areas in the DRC and has seen UN peacekeepers on high alert for months.
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South Africa has been supplying defence force personnel to the DRC as part of the UN peacekeeping mission for more than a year. There are more than 700 military personnel from the army and medical corps deployed in the area, many of them from Pretoria.
| 'There are more than 700 military personnel... in the area, many of them from Pretoria' |
The shooting this week of the soldier, who was to complete his six months' posting to the DRC in May, comes less than 48 hours after rebel movements, believed to be from the ex-Zairean Armed Forces rebel group, tried to overthrow the DRC's transitional government by launching an attack on the capital, Kinshasa.
Twenty people were arrested during the abortive coup, while another 18 managed to escape.
Information on Tuesday night revealed that UN peacekeepers who are currently operating under the UN's Chapter 6, which is a normal peacekeeping mandate, were recently tasked to protect civilians throughout the DRC under Chapter 7.
Chapter 7 means that UN forces can take the necessary action in areas of deployment of its armed units as it deems within its capabilities... to protect civilians under imminent threat of physical violence. This means that the UN soldiers can fire on aggressors in order to protect the lives and property of civilians or themselves.
Information has revealed that the soldier, whose designation at the base is unknown, was shot through the heart.
It is believed, according to initial medical and ballistic reports, that the sniper may have been several hundred metres away from him when he was killed.
SANDF spokesperson Colonel Kwena Mangope confirmed that a soldier had been shot dead on Monday. He said the shooting was being investigated by the UN as the SANDF formed part of the UN peacekeeping mission.
"The information we have is very sketchy. We are still waiting for UN investigators to come back to us with their preliminary reports and findings," he said.
Mangope said the soldier's name would only be released once his next of kin had been informed about his death.
When asked if it was true that the man had come from Pretoria, Mangope declined to comment, saying that the matter was still in its infancy stages and "we know very little about the incident".
A source at the UN headquarters in the DRC said an investigation into the shooting had been launched with several investigators tasked to look into the killing.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the body was expected to arrive back in South Africa either later this week or early next week for burial.
The source said that before the body was returned a memorial service would be held.
The UN was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press on Monday night.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of Pretoria News on March 31, 2004
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