Four US peace keeper confirmed dead in Bangui Centra Africa
Four UN peacekeepers have been found dead and one remains missing after an attack on a convoy in the Central African Republic (CAR), United Nations officials said on Tuesday.
The UN's MINUSCA mission said the convoy was attacked by fighters of the "anti-Balaka" armed group near Yogofongo village, more than 470km east of the capital, Bangui, close to the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.
CAR has been plagued by conflict since early 2013, when mainly Muslim Seleka rebels seized power, triggering reprisals by Christian "anti-Balaka" militias.
MINUSCA, which had earlier announced the death of one Cambodian peacekeeper, said later on Tuesday it was "deeply saddened to confirm that three of the four peacekeepers that were missing in action since [Monday's] attack have been found dead".
At least eight peacekeepers, one Cambodian and seven Moroccans, were also wounded in the attack.
At least eight peacekeepers, one Cambodian and seven Moroccans, were also wounded in the attack.
Eight "anti-Balaka" attackers were killed and several wounded in the crossfire, MINUSCA said.
War crime
Killing a UN peacekeeper is considered a war crime, MINUSCA spokesman Herve Verhoosel told the AFP news agency, saying the convoy comprised of police and UN military staff.
The UN sent a helicopter and soldiers to secure the area and search for the missing, while the wounded were evacuated to Bangui, MINUSCA said
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