3 UN workers kidnapped

3 United Nations (UN) workers have been kidnapped in Kibumba, a town not far from Goma, the main city in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo.

The trio, believed to be two Congolese and a Zimbabwean who are civilians were reportedly kidnapped in the area close to the Rwandan border and were said to have been helping to remove mines.

Locals say their vehicle was found abandoned with the engine still running, BBC reports.

It is not yet clear who who kidnapped them as they reportedly went missing on Thursday afternoon.

According to reports,  the Congolese army presence in the area had been reduced over the past few weeks and that insecurity has since been on the rise even as government officials have also been reporting incursions in the area by Rwandan soldiers, a claim Rwanda has denied.

The UN mission in DR Congo (Monusco) has more than 20,000 personnel, one of the world's biggest. Monusco worked with the Congolese army to help flush out M23 rebels from North Kivu in 2013.