In a statement marking the second anniversary of envoy Luca Attanasio's killing in an ambush in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Italy's president Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday reaffirmed his country's commitment to Africa and its peaceful development.
"On the second anniversary of the tragic killing of ambassador Luca Attanasio, Carabinieri policeman Vittorio Iacovacci and driver Mustapha Milambo, I express heartfelt condolences to their families," the statement said.
"In honour of their memory, Italy continues its commitment to Africa and to fostering values of solidarity and peaceful cohabitation between peoples," the statement underlined.
Italy held state funerals for Attanasio and Iacovacci, who died on 22 February 2021 when gunmen attacked a UN World Food Programme convoy as it travelled through DRC's volatile North Kivu province.
Attanasio was the first foreign ambassador to be killed in the DRC since 1993, and the first Italian ambassador killed while serving his term.
