Protests Against UN Mission In DR Congo Continue For Third Consecutive Day

Protests against the United Nations mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have continued for a third consecutive day on Wednesday after at least 15 people were killed and dozens of others injured during the previous two days of demonstrations in the turbulent north-eastern part of the country, reported The Africa News.

The protests erupted on Monday when the masses took to the streets of Goma city against the country’s UN mission – United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) – which they accuse of failing to stop the attacks by rebel groups on civilians and the government. They are calling for the UN forces, present in Congo for years, to leave.

On Tuesday, the UN reported that one peacekeeper from Morocco and two international policemen from India serving with its peacekeeping force were killed and a policeman from Egypt got injured at the UN base in Butembo in North Kivu province when violent attackers took away weapons from Congolese police and fired on the peace keeping forces.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned the violence targeting multiple UN bases across North Kivu since Monday. He has called on the Congolese authorities to investigate the incidents.

The DRC is home to multiple rebel groups and the region’s security has continued to worsen despite emergency operations by a joint force of the armies of Congo and Uganda. Civilians in the eastern part of the country have been adversely affected due to violence from jihadi rebels linked to the Islamic State group.

In June 2021 and June 2022, the peacekeeping mission closed its office in the DRC’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 amid escalated fighting between Congolese troops and the M23 rebels, forcing nearly 200,000 people to flee their home.