UNITED NATIONS, April 10 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday condemned the killing of a Rwandan peacekeeper and the wounding of eight others of the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic (CAR), his spokesman said in a statement.

The incident occurred in Bangui on Tuesday during an exchange of fire with armed elements. The fighting followed a joint operation launched on Sunday by the UN mission known as Minusca and CAR security forces to disarm and arrest heavily armed criminal groups, said the statement.

The secretary-general offered his deepest condolences to the bereaved family, as well as to the government of Rwanda, and wished a swift recovery to the injured.

The secretary-general said attacks against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and called on the CAR authorities to investigate them and swiftly bring those responsible to justice, said the statement.