The UN humanitarian coordinator in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Bruno Lemarquis, condemned the murder of three local workers from the Swiss organization Swiss Church Aid, known by the acronym HEKS/EPER, in an attack in the northeast of the country.

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“Our humanitarian colleagues, dedicated to their mission, were attacked while working to provide vital assistance to vulnerable populations affected by conflicts in the Rutshuru territory,” Lemarquis said in a statement.

“This tragedy is causing serious harm not only to the victims’ families and their organization but also to the community, as a result of the suspension of HEKS/EPER’s activities,” he added.

Lemarquis warned that attacks against humanitarian staff are a “serious violation of international humanitarian law” and lamented that the escalation of violence in northeastern Congo “further endangers” the lives of on-the-ground workers.

“I call for a swift and thorough investigation to hold those responsible accountable,” at the time he asked to start an investigation of three aid workers.

The incident occurred amid a escalation of the conflict in northeastern DR Congo, where the Congolese Army is facing the powerful rebel group March 23 Movement (M23).

The M23 took control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu, on January 27, after days of intense combat with the Army and its allied militias that have resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of displaced people, according to United Nations figures.

The armed activity of the rebel group resumed in November 2021 with lightning attacks against the Congolese Army in North Kivu, a border province with Rwanda that is rich in minerals like coltan, essential for the tech industry, and gold, among others.

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