At least 26 people were killed during a demonstration against the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, authorities said. The military violently broke up the protests after police officers were apparently attacked.
According to the government, many people were killed and wounded in a violent crackdown on several demonstrations against the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The Reuters news agency, citing government figures, reports 43 dead and 56 injured, the AP news agency at least 26 people dead and more than 50 injured. AP relies on representatives of local authorities.
Military speaks of attack on police officers
As the government announced on Thursday, the incident had already occurred on Wednesday. The authorities had initially only spoken of six demonstrators killed and have now corrected their statements. At least 158 people have also been arrested and a military investigation launched.
Members of a religious sect demonstrated against the UN peacekeeping mission MONUSCO and other foreign organizations. Congolese troops violently broke up the protests after footage of an attack on a police officer circulated on social media.
The members of the so-called Wazalendo sect accused Western countries of exercising colonial-like power. After the outbreak of violence, they accused the soldiers of indiscriminately firing live ammunition at demonstrators. The Congolese army said the protesters stoned a policeman to death.
UN demand respect for human rights
The head of the local branch of the International Red Cross in Goma, Anne-Sylvie Linder, said her clinic had taken in a large number of people with serious stab and gunshot wounds following the protests. “Some were already dead when they arrived,” explained Lindner.
The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General and Head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, issued a statement deploring the incident and expressing condolences to those affected. “The Mission urges the Congolese authorities to investigate and treat the detainees well while respecting human rights,” Keita said.
Controversial UN mission
Since 2022, protests against the mission have increased. These were prompted in part by complaints that the UN had failed to protect civilians from decades of militia violence. In July 2022, more than 15 people were killed during a protest against the MONUSCO mission, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo began operations in 1999 and is due to withdraw by the end of the year. Critics accuse the mission of not doing enough to protect the civilian population from the overlapping conflicts in the east of the country.