Slain Italian Ambassador to the
Democratic Republic of Congo Luca Attanasio "loved life and
dreamed of peace", said his wife Zakia Seddiki on Wednesday
after a wreath-laying ceremony at the foreign ministry in Rome
to mark the third anniversary of the ambush in which his
bodyguard Vittorio Iacovacci and their Congolese driver Mustapha
Milambo were also killed.
He was a "simple and idealistic young man whose values were
steeped in generosity and concreteness," she added of the
diplomat who was in a convoy targeted by six gunmen on February
22, 2021 while travelling from Goma in the eastern province of
North Kivu to a World Food Programme school feeding programme in
Rutshuru, 70 km away.
Seddiki thanked the network of diplomats for pausing on February
22 "to remember their sacrifice".
"Thank you for keeping their memory alive," she added.
"That day, I lost my husband, the father of my three beautiful
daughters. Keeping his memory alive has a value that goes beyond
his person, it means giving recognition to how he interpreted
his work, a man of goodwill, an extraordinary diplomat, a
generous father, an unforgettable companion," continued Seddiki.
Attanasio "represented his country with great dedication and
humanity. He never looked down on anyone, even when he held
positions of responsibility, his commitment was all-round seven
days a week", she said.
"I now feel the responsibility to continue his commitments" and
"to give substance to his words".
Seddiki also thanked Premier Giorgia Meloni for her "discreet,
assiduous and affectionate presence" and Cabinet Undersecretary
Alfredo Mantovano for his "authoritative and wise closeness".
Earlier this month a Rome preliminary hearings judge dropped a
manslaughter case against two World Food Programme (WFP)
staffers for allegedly failing to provide adequate security for
Attanasio, 43, and Iacovacci, 42, on grounds of diplomatic
immunity.
The prosecution said it would appeal before the Court of Appeal
against the decision of the judge to ensure that the rights of
the two Italian citizens and their families' rights are
protected.
Last May a DRC court handed life sentences to six men for the
three murders and awarded two million dollars in damages to
Italy.
Five of those convicted are behind bars and the sixth, the
gang's leader, is a fugitive from justice.
The six convicts are members of one of the militias that have
been running rampage since regional conflicts in the late 1990s
and early 2000s.
However, Attanasio's father Salvatore said at the time that
their conviction has not cleared up what actually happened.
"We are still waiting for the truth," Salvatore Attanasio told
ANSA.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
