5 killed, 50 injured in anti-UN protests

KINSHASA (AP):

At least five people have been killed and about 50 others injured on the second day of demonstrations in Congo’s eastern city of Goma against the United Nations (UN) mission in the country, a government official said.

The United Nations confirmed that one peacekeeper and two international policemen serving with the UN peacekeeping force were killed and another injured at the UN base in Butembo, in North Kivu province in the east, when “violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police” and fire on the UN personnel.

UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said reports of civilian casualties, including reports of UN peacekeepers killing and injuring civilians, would be investigated.

He said that on Tuesday, “hundreds of assailants again attacked bases of the UN force, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, in Goma as well as other parts of North Kivu “fuelled by hostile remarks and threats made by individuals and groups against the UN, particularly on social media”.

“Mobs are throwing stones and petrol bombs, breaking into bases, looting and vandalising, and setting facilities on fire,” Haq said. “We are trying to calm things down”, including by dispatching quick reaction forces, but there is no evidence the violence has ended.

In addition, Haq said at least four incidents targeted the residences of MONUSCO staff, who have now been relocated to UN camps. And a mob also tried to enter the compound of the UN Development Program earlier on Tuesday but was repelled by security guards, he said.

Demonstrators on Monday had set fires and forced entry into the UN mission offices in Goma, accusing the peacekeeping forces of failing to protect civilians amid rising violence in Congo’s eastern region. They are calling for the UN forces, present in Congo for years, to leave.

“At least five dead, around 50 wounded,” government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a tweet, condemning attacks on UN personnel and buildings.

Protesters blamed shots fired by the peacekeepers for the deaths.

Congo’s mineral-rich east is home to myriad rebel groups, and the region’s security has worsened despite a year of emergency operations by a joint force of the armies of Congo and Uganda. Civilians in the east have also had to deal with violence from jihadi rebels linked to the Islamic State group.

The government spokesman didn’t say what caused the deaths, but described the response by security forces and peacekeepers as “warning shots to disperse the demonstrators and prevent any attack on the @MONUSCO base and installations,” he said on his Twitter account.

“The government has instructed the security forces to take all measures to ensure a return to calm and the normal resumption of activities in Goma,” he said. He also reiterated that steps are already being taken for the peacekeeping forces to be withdrawn.

In June 2021 and June 2022, the peacekeeping mission closed its office in Congo’s Kasai Central and Tanganyika regions. The mission has more than 16,000 uniformed personnel in Congo, according to the UN.

The protests are taking place as fighting has escalated between Congolese troops and the M23 rebels, forcing nearly 200,000 people to flee their homes. The M23 forces have shown increased firepower and defence capabilities, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.