UN peacekeeper killed in Central African Republic

ANKARA (AA) - A Burundian UN peacekeeper has been killed by armed men in Central African Republic, the UN has announced.

The incident took place in the town of Grimari when anti-Balaka armed elements entered the city and opened fire on the mayor's home, the UN's Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) said late Sunday.

The MINUSCA troops struggled to repel the attack.

"This attack on the town of Grimari and the peacekeepers is unacceptable and constitutes a serious crime under the jurisdiction of national and international courts," Mankeur Ndiaye, the special representative of the UN secretary-general in the Central African Republic (CAR), and also the head of the MINUSCA, said.

Dimitri Ayoloma, the leader of these armed elements, as well as all perpetrators and accomplices of the attack will be brought to justice, Ndiaye added.

The name of the victim has not been released. He is the second member of the UN peacekeeping mission to be killed this month by an armed group in the CAR.

The UN’s 13,000-strong peacekeeping mission, has struggled to restore order in the war-torn Central African country since 2014.