(Adnkronos) – The tragedy of ambassador to The Democratic Republic of Congo Luca Attanasio’s killing on 22 February 2021 will never be forgotten, Italy’s foreign minister Antonio Tajani told a ceremony at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.
“The deaths of Ambassador Luca Attanasio, Carabiniere Vittorio Iacovacci and World Food Programme driver Mustapha Milambo are “a tragedy that will remain in all our hearts and minds,” Tajani said.
Speaking at a ceremony at which a laurel wreath was laid and a plaque unveiled to commemorate Italians who die abroad, Tajani paid tribute to Attanasio, who died with Iacovacci and Milambo in a botched kidnapping.
“In his positions of responsibility in Nigeria and Morocco, as head of mission in the DRC, he always interpreted the values of Italian diplomacy with rigour and passion,” Tajani stated.
Tajani described Attanasio as “a committed young diplomat, a talented footballer, always full of enthusiasm and initiative, especially in helping the most vulnerable.”
Tajani also paid tribute to Iacovacci. “A recipient of the Gold Medal for Military Valour, in a supreme act of heroism, he tried to protect and save the ambassador he was escorting,” Tajani underlined.
“Today, we want to remember his extraordinary spirit of service, like that of so many other Carabinieri and military personnel who have given their lives for their country.”
The Commander-General of the Carabinieri and Attanasio’s widow were among those who attended Tuesday’s ceremony.
Attanasio, Iacovacci and Milambo died when gunmen ambushed their convoy in the volatile province of North Kivu as they travelled from the eastern city of Goma to a WFP school feeding programme.
The WFP and North Kivu’s governor said the two-vehicle convoy did not have a security escort at the time of the attack.
A military court sentenced six men to life in prison in 2023 for the murder of Attanasio, Iacovacci and Milambo.
