2 yıl önce

Protests against UN mission turn deadly in DR Congo city

The violence took place on the second day of protests against the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO for failing to protect civilians in a region marred by decades of violence.

Reuters

Hundreds of demonstrators attacked and looted a MONUSCO warehouse in Goma on Monday, demanding that the mission leave the country.

At least five people have been killed and around 50 injured in anti-United Nations protests in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma.

The violence took place on the second day of protests against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO for failing to protect civilians in a region marred by decades of violence.

On Monday, hundreds of people blocked roads and chanted hostile slogans before storming the MONUSCO's headquarters and a logistical base, demanding that the mission leave the country.

Protesters smashed windows and looted valuables, while helicopters airlifted UN staff from the premises and security forces fired teargas in a bid to push them back.

The unrest in Goma continued on Tuesday, with the fatal shooting of a man near the logistical base, according to AFP news agency.

In a tweet, government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said security forces had fired "warning shots" at protesters in Goma to stop attacks on UN personnel.

Muyaya said further information would be provided later in the day on the human and logistical toll of the protests.

The UN mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the world's biggest peacekeeping operations. But it has regularly come under criticism in the country's troubled east for its perceived inability to stem decades-long bloodshed.

More than 120 armed groups roam the volatile region, where civilian massacres are common and conflict has displaced millions of people.

Attacks by militants linked to Daesh have also continued despite a year-long state of emergency and joint operations against them by the Congolese and Ugandan armies.