As a result of a fight between political factions in the Democratic Republic of Congo on thursday, the Spanish embassy was struck by a grenade or mortar shell which rocked the embassy building.
A spokesman for the Spanish Foreign Ministry told CNN:
The blast caused no injuries but prompted the evacuation of Spanish diplomats in U.N. armored vehicles. Spanish-speaking troops from Uruguay, part of the 17,000-strong U.N. force in the country, moved in quickly after the shell hit the embassy amid ongoing disturbances that included gunfire.
There is a conflict going on between the government troops and the loyalists of former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba, who lost a presidential election last October to Joseph Kabila.
The embassy is situated near Bemba’s residence hence there is a confusion whether the blast was intended or was just a result of a crossfire.
The diplomats were transported to a secure U.N. building in Kinshasa. Apart from this incidence there were no reports of any casualty related to any Spaniard as a result of the fighting.
Spain had deployed its troop to Congo last year before the elections to help the international force maintain law and order, but it no longer maintains its troop on a regular basis in Congo.
