At least 15 people have been killed and dozens of others injured during two days of demonstrations in Congo’s east against the United Nations mission in the country, officials said.
The UN 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 fired 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 vandalizing, and setting facilities on fire,” Mr Haq said, adding “we are trying to calm things down” including by dispatching quick reaction forces but there is no evidence the violence has ended.
In addition, Mr 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 Programme 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.
Congo’s police said at least six people were killed in Goma on Monday, and eight civilians in Butembo.
Earlier, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said at least five people were killed and about 50 wounded by Monday.
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 did not say what caused the deaths but on Twitter, he 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”.
“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.
MONUSCO’s acting head Khassim Diagne and UN spokesman Mr Haq condemned the killings of UN personnel.
Mr Haq said UN peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix, who is currently in Mali, will be travelling to Congo “at his earliest opportunity”.
Mr Diagne described the violence against the UN as “absolutely unacceptable” and “counterproductive” given MONUSCO’s mission to protect civilians, deter armed groups and build the capacity of state institutions and services.
Mr Haq responded to a question asking whether the UN’s effort had been a failure because armed groups still roam the country saying “our presence has provided protection but it has not solved the problem” which involves the region and armed groups vying for control of mineral and resource-rich regions.
Within that, he said, the UN has been “doing our best” to ensure that people’s lives and basic freedoms are not taken away.
Mr Haq said the UN has had plans to draw down its peacekeeping force and even withdraw from Congo but “we have stayed because the situation on the ground is far too dangerous for us to contemplate leaving and putting that many people at risk”.
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