Life Sentences for 6 in Congo for the Killing of Italian Ambassador

A military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo sentenced six defendants to life imprisonment today, Friday, for the deaths of former Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, his bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci, and Congolese driver Mustafa Milambo. Boniface Palamag, the lawyer representing Italy in the case, told Reuters that five of the convicted individuals are already imprisoned while the sixth remains at large and was sentenced in absentia. The Italian embassy in Kinshasa tweeted: "On the day that justice was served, we celebrate the bright example and commitment of Luca, Vittorio, and Musa (Mustafa)." The ambassador, his bodyguard, and the driver were killed on February 22, 2021, during a failed kidnapping attempt while traveling from the city of Goma in the eastern part of the country to visit a World Food Programme project. At the time of the incident, the Congolese presidency reported that six armed men intercepted the convoy of two vehicles, killing Milambo and taking six passengers hostage. Army forces and park rangers pursued the armed group, and a gunfight ensued during which the kidnappers shot the ambassador and his bodyguard.