Rwandan Hutu rebels denied allegations they were behind the killing of the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo and instead accused the armies of the DRC and Rwanda of responsibility.

An Italian Carabinieri unit, meanwhile, was expected in DRC on Tuesday to investigate.

Luca Attanasio died of his wounds on Monday after a World Food Programme (WFP) convoy came under fire near the eastern city of Goma while he was on a field trip. The Italian government said an Italian policeman, Vittorio Iacovacci, and a driver it did not identify also died.

DRC’s interior ministry blamed the killings on “members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda [FDLR]”, a Rwandan Hutu rebel group that has plagued the region for more than a quarter of a century.

But the FDLR rejected the allegation in a statement received by AFP news agency on Tuesday.

It said the ambassador’s convoy was attacked near the Rwandan border, “not far from a position of the FARDC [DRC’s armed forces] and Rwandan soldiers”.

“The responsibility for this despicable killing is to be found in the ranks of these two armies and their sponsors who have forged an unnatural alliance to perpetuate the pillaging of eastern DRC,” it said.

The FDLR denied “being involved in the attack” and called on Kinshasa and UN peacekeeping force MONUSCO to “shed light” on the killings “instead of resorting to hasty accusations”.

DRC and Rwanda authorities have not reported the presence of any regular Rwandan troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

But an analyst at the Kivu Security Tracker, a US monitor, said: “The FDLR are near the place where the attack took place. It’s in the realm of possibility that the Rwandan rebels are responsible for this attack.”

Attacks increasing

It is unusual for a top diplomat to be targeted in eastern DRC, but attacks have been rising, Pierre Boisselet, coordinator of the Kivu Security Tracker, said.

“Attacks on humanitarians and kidnappings of humanitarian workers have been increasing. Last year we recorded 12 of those incidents in North and South Kivu, but only one ended in a death,” he said.

“Usually violence by armed groups targets civilians,” or civilians are hurt amid clashes between armed groups and the army.

The attack, 25km (15 miles) north of Goma, was right next to Virunga National Park.

DRC’s interior ministry said four other people in the convoy were kidnapped, but one person was found by the army.

The UN vehicles were hijacked by the attackers and taken into the bush. The Congolese army and park guards for Virunga National Park responded to the attack and there was an exchange of fire, according to North Kivu Governor Carly Nzanzu Kasivita.

‘Heinous targeting’

Attanasio was shot in the abdomen and was then transported to the UN Mission in Congo hospital where he died from his wounds, according to the interior ministry. The driver and police officer died at the scene.

The WFP said the attack occurred on a road that had been cleared previously for travel without security escorts, and it was seeking more information from local officials on the attack.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the determination of whether roads are safe is normally made by UN security officials in the country.

He said he had no details on “the exact unfolding of the incident,” and “the investigation will bring, hopefully, clarity to that”.

Attanasio, 43, represented Italy in Kinshasa since 2017, first as head of mission and then as ambassador from October 2019.

Italian President Sergio Mattarella described the ambush as a “cowardly attack.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres issued a statement urging the DRC to swiftly investigate a “heinous targeting” of a UN mission.

Scores of militias roam the DRC’s four eastern provinces, many a legacy of wars in the 1990s that pulled in its regional neighbours and killed millions.

Monday’s attack occurred in the thickly forested, mountainous terrain of the Nyiaragongo Territory – north of the North Kivu capital of Goma – one of the most dangerous parts of the country.

The FDLR is one of a number of armed groups operating there.

Eastern DRC remains one of the most insecure parts of the expansive country. More than 2,000 civilians were killed last year by armed rebel groups, according to a UN report last week.

Attanasio is the second European ambassador to have been killed while serving in the DRC. In January 1993, French Ambassador Philippe Bernard was killed during riots in Kinshasa sparked by troops opposing former President Mobutu Sese Seke. - Al Jazeera

The immigration department is keen. Photo Shutterstock

Foreign countries are sceptical of customary marriage declarations without a certificate of marriage. I’ve read many journals on issues relating to marriage and divorce, and sometimes, the law has a hand in it.

During my visit to the USA a few years ago, I noticed that many Kenyans living abroad had landed into trouble with the immigration authorities over their marital statuses.

The problem has become so grave that the US immigration department is regularly turning down applications by Kenyans for permanent residency. The seed of the problem is planted while one is still in Kenya during the tedious and expensive process of applying for a US visa.

One of the application forms requires every applicant to state their marital status. Many Kenyans who have undergone a traditional marriage ceremony or are living with their partners, predictably, indicate that they are married. But paperwork is critical if you’re going to live abroad.

After a few months in the USA, you realize that they need proof of your marital status if married. So as the Kenyan you are, you decide to get creative...Change your status to single and buy yourself an easy ticket to permanent residency.

But unfortunately, the immigration department is keen. And when they run their routine background checks, they notice the conflicting information on your Visa. This misrepresentation is used to deny your application for permanent residency status.

The issue of marital status has seen many Kenyans face rejection when it comes to acquiring US citizenship. One could argue that the governments abroad are to blame for not recognizing our customary marriages. But maybe our own government should take some blame too for not enforcing legal measures to marriage.

In Kenya, the law recognizes four main types of marriage; civil marriages, which are usually celebrated at the Attorney General’s chambers, religious marriages (Hindu, Christian, and Muslim), which are celebrated at places of worship, customary marriages and common-law marriages.

Civil and religious marriages are easy to prove thanks to the marriage certificate and national marriage register. If a foreign government wishes to establish if a person is married in Kenya, it would merely need to ask the Registrar of Marriages if the marriage is entered in the Register

Things, however, get tricky when it comes to marriages under customary law and common law. Customary marriages have remained recognized in law, but there is no formal regime to register them and provide for the issuance of marriage certificates. This is usually not necessary as long as the couple is still happily cohabiting.

Issues, however, arise in divorce proceedings and in succession matters where one of the spouses has passed away. The only way to prove a customary marriage is by calling witnesses who can provide evidence that dowry was paid and a traditional marriage ceremony conducted

So it’s not hard to see why many applications for permanent residency abroad get declined. It is true that we all want to live the American Dream and many Kenyans often find themselves in a tight spot – either deny their spouses here and get the freedom abroad or stick with their spouses and fail the immigration test. -  Karuri Muthaka, The Standard

Prince Harry and his American wife Meghan have permanently quit royal duties, Buckingham Palace said Friday, just over a year after they rocked the British monarchy by announcing plans to “step back” from their roles.

Queen Elizabeth II ordered the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, as they are formally known, to relinquish their honorary titles and patronages following the confirmation that they would not be returning as working royals.

The couple relocated to the United States last year, in a move dubbed “Megxit” by the British press, and have since embarked on several commercial ventures there including lucrative tie-ups with the streaming platforms Netflix and Spotify. 

At an emergency January 2020 summit with the queen, Harry’s father Prince Charles and brother Prince William, Harry agreed they would stop using their “Royal Highness” titles and the “Sussex Royal” brand.

But the senior family members pledged to review the situation a year on — with the move now made permanent, days after Harry and Meghan announced on Valentine’s Day they are expecting their second child.

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have confirmed to Her Majesty The Queen that they will not be returning as working members of The Royal Family,” Buckingham Palace announced.

“The Queen has written confirming that in stepping away from the work of The Royal Family it is not possible to continue with the responsibilities and duties that come with a life of public service.”

It noted their honorary appointments and patronages would be redistributed among the remaining working royals.

– ‘Service is universal’-

However, it appears the pair will retain their official titles of Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and Harry remains sixth in line to the throne, with no change in the line of succession.

“While all are saddened by their decision, the Duke and Duchess remain much-loved members of the family,” the palace statement added.

The decision means Harry, 36, who served as a soldier in Afghanistan and is passionate about veterans’ welfare, must relinquish several honorary military titles related to the Royal Marines, air force and navy.

Earlier this month he formally settled a libel claim against the publisher of The Mail On Sunday and MailOnline website over reports he had snubbed soldiers since stepping back from royal life.

A spokesperson for the couple said Friday they had shown that they “remain committed to their duty and service to the UK and around the world”.

The statement noted they had offered their continued support to the organizations they had represented “regardless of the official role”.

“We can all live a life of service. Service is universal,” it added. HA