A Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) officer on a peace mission in Central African Republic (CAR) was killed during an ambush by unknown attackers.

The soldier from Kenya Army was killed on Friday morning near Tabane village in Haut-Mbomou region.

A statement from the UN’s United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) condemned the incident.

Valentine Rugwabiza, the head of MINUSCA, revealed that the Kenyan soldier died in the violent attack perpetrated by unidentified armed elements.

“The Special Representative is extremely shocked by this heinous attack on peacekeepers whose mission is to protect civilians. She extends her deepest condolences to the government and people of Kenya and expresses her full sympathy to the victim’s family,” she said in the statement.

Rugwabiza said a rapid intervention team was deployed to the scene of the incident warning that attacks targeting United Nations peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

She called on the CAR authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of the attack so that they can be brought to justice swiftly.

Rugwabiza who is the Special Representative of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, declared that such cowardly attacks against peacekeepers will not diminish MINUSCA’s determination to carry out its mandate in search of peace and stability in the conflict-ridden country.

KDF Spokesperson Brigadier Paul Njuguna was not immediately available for comment. The slain had been deployed to the war-ravaged country in February as a military observer.

Plagued by decades of instability and fighting, the impoverished CAR witnessed a resumption of violence in December 2012 when the mainly Muslim Séléka rebels launched a series of attacks.

Though a peace agreement was reached in January 2013, the rebels seized the capital, Bangui, in March, forcing President François Bozizé to flee.

A transitional government was then established and entrusted with restoring peace, but conflict persists living thousands dead as others fled to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of Congo.

Concerned with the security, humanitarian, human rights and political crisis in the country, the Security Council on April 10, 2014, established MINUSCA whose key mandate is protection of civilians as its utmost priority.

Its other initial tasks included support for the transition process; facilitating humanitarian assistance; promotion and protection of human rights; support for justice and the rule of law; and disarmament, demobilization, reintegration and repatriation processes.