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 Tuesday.
The United Nations confirmed that one peacekeeper and two international policemen serving with the U.N. peacekeeping force were killed and another injured at the UN base in Butembo in North Kivu province in the east when 바카라violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police바카라 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 바카라hundreds 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 바카라fuelled by hostile remarks and threats made by individuals and groups against the U.N., particularly on social media.바카라
바카라Mobs are throwing stones and petrol bombs, breaking into bases, looting and vandalizing, and setting facilities on fire,바카라 Haq said. 바카라We are trying to calm things down바카라 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 Programme earlier Tuesday but was rebelled 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 didn't say what caused the deaths but on Twitter, he described the response by security forces and peacekeepers as 바카라warning shots to disperse the demonstrators and prevent any attack on the @MONUSCO base and installations."
바카라The government has instructed the security forces to take all measures to ensure a return to calm and the normal resumption of activities in Goma,바카라 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 defense capabilities, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
MONUSCO's acting head Khassim Diagne and UN spokesman Haq condemned the killings of U.N. personnel. Haq said U.N. peacekeeping chief Jean Pierre Lacroix, who is currently in Mali, will be traveling to Congo 바카라at his earliest opportunity.바카라
Diagne described the violence against the UN as 바카라absolutely unacceptable바카라 and 바카라counterproductive바카라 given MONUSCO's mission to protect civilians, deter armed groups and build the capacity of state institutions and services.
Haq responded to a question asking whether the UN's effort had been a failure because armed groups still roam the country saying 바카라our presence has provided protection but it has not solved the problem바카라 which involves the region and armed groups vying for control of mineral and resource-rich regions.
Within that, he said, the UN has been 바카라doing our best바카라 to ensure that people's lives and basic freedoms aren't taken away.
Haq said the UN has had plans to draw down its peacekeeping force and even withdraw from Congo but 바카라we have stayed because the situation on the ground is is far too dangerous for us to contemplate leaving and putting that many people at risk.바카라
