Two UN aid workers killed by "unidentified gunmen" in Congo

Two United Nations aid workers were killed and a third is missing in the Democratic of Congo (DR Congo) over the weekend.  

The two were targeted by "unidentified gunmen" on Saturday, a statement by the United Nations humanitarian office in the capital Kinshasa said.  

UN spokesman Farhan Haq said victims were both employees of French NGO Hydraulique Sans Frontieres (HYFRO), which provides water.  It is not known what nationality the employees were.  The attack in North Kivu, in the east of the country, comes less than a year after two UN experts were killed in DR Congo.  

The bodies of US citizen Michael Sharp and Swedish national Zaida Catalan were discovered in the central Kasai region, two weeks after they were abducted having gone to Kasai to investigate reports of abuses after local rebels took up arms.  North Kivu province, meanwhile, has also been wracked by violence, with an increase in kidnappings and killings due to rivalries between ethnic groups. In December, 15 UN peacekeepers were killed.