UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 3 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday strongly condemned Tuesday's militia attacks on the Savo camp for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which left at least 58 civilians dead and 36 others injured, said his deputy spokesman.
The secretary-general expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wished a swift recovery to the injured. He called on the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to justice, noting the reprehensible nature of these attacks on a site where civilians who had already been displaced by conflict had sought protection and humanitarian assistance, said Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesman, in a statement.
The secretary-general reiterated the United Nations' continued support for the Congolese government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability, said the statement.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known by its French acronym as MONUSCO, deployed a patrol to the site and exchanged fire with the assailants of the Cooperative for the Development of Congo. The mission conducted joint operations with government troops into the morning hours of Wednesday, pushing the assailants out of the area and securing the site to prevent further attacks, said the statement.
Haq provided more details about the situation after the attacks at Thursday's press briefing.
UN peacekeepers are continuing to conduct robust patrols in the area. They have also reinforced their temporary operating base in the area with troops from Bunia. These additional troops will focus on providing security around the Savo site, said Haq.
On Wednesday, MONUSCO mobilized two helicopters to facilitate the medical evacuation to Bunia of 19 wounded civilians, while humanitarian workers provided medical supplies.
MONUSCO has maintained communication with the military governor of Ituri to discuss security arrangements and an increased presence of national security forces. The mission also engaged with the territorial administrator and key stakeholders at the local and provincial levels to urge them to intervene to de-escalate tensions and prevent an increase of communal violence in the Djugu territory, where the Savo IDP site is located, he said.
The Savo site, which is managed by the UN Refugee Agency and partner CARITAS, hosted more than 20,000 displaced people, including more than 13,000 children. Many of the site's residents have fled to Bule town following Tuesday's attacks, said Haq. ■
