3 missing Cambodian UN peacekeepers in Central Africa attack found dead

All three missing Cambodian United Nations (UN) peacekeepers in an ambush in the Central African Republic (CAR) were found dead, bringing the death toll of Cambodian troops in the attack to four, a Cambodian defense spokesman said Wednesday.

"I'm sad to announce that the three missing Cambodian peacekeepers in a Monday's attack in the CAR was found dead on Tuesday about 2 km from the scene," Chhum Socheath, a spokesman for the Cambodian National Defense Ministry, told Xinhua.

In a press release on Tuesday, the UN peacekeeping mission in the CAR strongly condemned the attack by a rebel group on one of its convoys near Bangassou, about 474 km east of the capital, Bangui.

The press release said that eight peacekeepers were also injured, including one Cambodian and seven Moroccans. Besides, a Moroccan peacekeeper is still missing.

The UN mission said it will do everything possible to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack, who fled into the bush, are arrested so that they can be brought to justice.

Cambodia has sent peacekeepers to join a UN peacekeeping operation in the war-torn CAR since 2014. Currently, some 216 Cambodian peacekeepers are stationed there.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)