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| - Luca Attanasio, the Italian diplomat killed in an attack Monday in the Democratic Republic of Congo, was one of his country's youngest ambassadors with a strong interest in African affairs. The 43-year-old father-of-three was remembered for his warmth and professionalism, and his death sparked an outpouring of grief from politicians and colleagues. Born in northern Saronno, northwest of Milan, on May 23, 1977, Attanasio joined the diplomatic service in 2003, according to the foreign ministry. He had been representing Italy in Kinshasa since 2017, first as head of mission and then as ambassador since October 2019. He said he was well aware of the risks he faced when he took the post. "Being an ambassador is a mission which can also be dangerous, but we have a duty to set the example," Attanasio said last year while receiving a humanitarian award. He was remembered fondly by colleagues Monday after the news of his death broke. Former deputy foreign minister Emanuela Del Re hailed him "a man gifted with uncommon courage, humanity and professionalism". She worked with Attanasio on the emergency repatriation of a sick nun from DR Congo. "I remember his infectious smile, his class, his great knowledge of African affairs," she said. "Ciao (good-bye) my dear esteemed Luca." Attanasio died in the eastern North Kivu province following an attack on a UN convoy, along with an Italian policeman escorting him, and a UN driver. "It is a dark and sad day" for Italy, Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said, while President Sergio Mattarella and Prime Minister Mario Draghi also sent their condolences. A top graduate from Milan's prestigious Bocconi university, Attanasio also had a doctorate in international politics and worked briefly as a business consultant. His first missions abroad were as trade secretary at the Italian embassy to Switzerland, from 2006 to 2010, and consul in Casablanca, Morocco, from 2010 to 2013. From 2013 to 2015 he worked at the foreign ministry in Rome, where he was chief secretary of the globalisation and global affairs department. He returned to Africa in 2015 as first councillor at the Italian embassy to Nigeria, moving to Kinshasa in September 2017. In October, Attanasio was given an Italian award, the International Nassiriya Prize for Peace, in recognition of his engagement with humanitarian causes. His wife Zakia Seddiki, from Casablanca, is the founder and president of a Kinshasa-based charity, Mamasofia, which helps women and children. According to a foreign ministry spokesman, Attanasio is the first Italian diplomat killed in the line of duty since 1990. aa/ar/jv
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