UN Secretary General Outraged Over Sunday’s Firing Incident At DRC Border Post

The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday said he was outraged over an incident that took place on Sunday in which U.N. peacekeepers opened fire on the border of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Two people were killed in the firing and several others were injured, reported The UN News.

The UN peacekeeping force, MONUSCO, admitted that some of its personnel had opened fire “for unexplained reasons,” adding that arrests had been made.

A UN statement said Guterres was saddened and dismayed to learn of the incident.

“The Secretary-General stresses in the strongest terms the need to establish accountability for these events,” it said.

As per the statement, Guterres welcomed the decision of his special representative in the DR Congo to detain the MONUSCO personnel involved in the shooting and to immediately open an investigation.

Moreover, Guterres conveyed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families, the Congolese people and the Congolese government and wished the injured a speedy recovery. He also emphasized the need to establish accountability for these events.

In the video of the incident shared on social media, one men in police uniform and another in army uniform, can be seen advancing towards the immobilised UN convoy behind a closed barrier in Kasindi. After a verbal exchange, the peacekeepers appeared to open fire before opening the gate, driving on and continuing to shoot while people scattered or hid. The town is in eastern DRC’s Beni territory on the border with Uganda.

Since last week, thousands of people have been demonstrating against MONUSCO in several towns across the country, particularly in Goma, the capital of North Kivu. The demonstrations turned violent as protesters demanded that MONUSCO exit their country for failing to protect civilians amid rising violence.

There are over 120 armed groups operating in the DRC’s troubled eastern region. The UN first deployed an observer mission to the region in 1999.