Congo sentences six to life in prison over death of Italian envoy

A Democratic Republic of Congo military court sentenced six men to life in prison over the death of the Italian ambassador, his bodyguard and driver, a lawyer said on Friday.

Envoy Luca Attanasio, Italian bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci and their Congolese driver Mustapha Milambo were killed on Feb. 22, 2021, during a botched kidnapping as they drove to a World Food Programme project from the eastern city of Goma.

A lawyer representing Italy, Boniface Balamage, told Reuters that five of the people sentenced to life were already in prison while one was at large and tried in absentia.

“On the day when justice took its course, we celebrate the shining example and commitment of Luca, Vittorio and Moussa,” the Italian embassy in Kinshasa tweeted.

According to Congo’s presidency, six armed men intercepted the two-car convoy on the road, killed Milambo and led six passengers away. Army and park rangers tracked the group and a firefight ensued during which the kidnappers shot the two Italians.

At the time, Congo’s interior ministry blamed a Hutu militia called the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR). But the armed group denied any involvement and condemned what it called a “cowardly assassination.”

It was not immediately possible to confirm the court decision with Congolese authorities.