DRC prohibits diplomats from traveling outside capital

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has prohibited the travel of ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions outside the capital Kinshasa without prior authorization from authorities.

President Felix Tshisekedi made the decision late on Tuesday at the presidential palace during a special security meeting with the country's foreign minister, deputy defense minister and security officials.

The meeting came a day after the killing of Italy's Ambassador Luca Attanasio and two others in an attack on a World Food Program (WFP) convoy in the eastern part of the country.

Tshisekedi had earlier condemned the "heinous acts" perpetrated in the Kibumba area near the city of Goma in North Kivu province and ordered an investigation into the incident.

Foreign Minister Marie-Therese Tumba Nzeza, who addressed the media after the meeting said: "The ambassadors and other representatives of the representations can no longer leave Kinshasa for the interior of the country without informing the head of the diplomacy [Foreign Ministry], and other competent services."

"Firm commitment has been made to strengthen security in the red zones, parts of the DRC considered to be at high risk," she declared.

In addition to authorization from the authorities in Kinshasa, diplomats will have to report themselves to the authorities of the entities they visit, according to Nzeza.

She said they would "do everything to find the perpetrators of this heinous crime and their accomplices," adding that experts from Kinshasa would be dispatched to Goma to support the investigation.

Before chairing the meeting, President Tshisekedi visited Attanasio's family in downtown Kinshasa and extend his condolences.

The body of the Italian diplomat and his bodyguard were repatriated in the afternoon to Rome aboard an Italian air force plane that landed in Goma in the morning.

Pope Francis sent a message of condolence to the Italian President Sergio Mattarella, deploring the "tragic attack."

The attack against the diplomatic mission was attributed to the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group active in the eastern DRC.

Several rebel groups in the eastern DRC have been attacking, killing and kidnapping civilians in the region for decades.

The illicit exploitation of natural resources continues to be a root cause and driver of conflict in the east of the country, according to the UN.

Most of the militia groups have set aside their political demands and are involved in mineral trafficking.