UN briefing condemns attacks on peacekeepers, cites three fatalities since February

Jean Pierre Lacroix informed the Security Council that attacks on United Nations personnel in the Central African Republic have resulted in multiple deaths this year, including the killing of a Zambian peacekeeper during a patrol near Sissia and a Kenyan military observer during an attack near the village of Tabane on March 28.

Lacroix said the patrol near Sissia, 34 kilometers northeast of Baraw, was responding to reports of attacks by armed elements and came under fire; the Zambian peacekeeper was killed. He condemned the attack, extended condolences to the Zambian government and urged Central African authorities to investigate and hold perpetrators accountable.

The briefing noted that the March 28 attack near Tabane in the Haut-Mbomou prefecture killed a MINUSCA military observer from Kenya and that this was the third attack since February 2025 that resulted in the death of a U.N. peacekeeper. Lacroix strongly condemned these attacks and repeated calls for accountability and protection of civilians, humanitarian actors and U.N. personnel.

Lacroix described persistent violence by armed groups and militias and highlighted that instability in border regions — particularly along the northeastern border with Sudan — has been exacerbated by spillover from the Sudanese conflict. He also said some members of the AKKG group had been integrated through a parallel recruitment process into the national armed forces and were targeting government forces, communities and MINUSCA.

The briefing referenced recent security-sector developments, including the inauguration of a Central African defense force post in Bambeere in the Limpende prefecture, carried out with MINUSCA support as part of the national border management policy. Lacroix urged continued international support for those efforts to consolidate state presence and protect the population.