As a result of the ongoing protests in the Country, some of the DR Congo military officials have fired warning shots to disperse protesters who had been approaching a United Nations peacekeepers’ base in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Monday, a day after two people were killed by members of the UN force.
Congolese forces had also shot into the air and police fired tear gas to break up two columns of dozens of people in the eastern border city of Beni, who were rallying against the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO.
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Security perimeters had been set up in front of MONUSCO buildings, where the UN force has also stepped up some security with armoured vehicles and tanks.
Anger has been fuelled by perceptions that MONUSCO is failing to do enough to stop decades of armed conflict. More than 120 militias operate in the DRC’s troubled east.
“We’re facing a force which has all the military, logistic and financial means to put an end to the activities of armed groups,” said Losuire Shabani, of the pro-democracy movement Lucha (Fight for Change).
“It doesn’t use them. As a result, we are asking for these tourists to leave. We will demonstrate until we effectively get this departure now that peacekeepers are killing us instead of armed militia,” he added, also addressing the demonstrators.
On Sunday, two people were killed and 15 injured after UN peacekeepers opened fire during an incident in eastern DR Congo on the Uganda border.
The peacekeepers, coming back from leave in Uganda, opened fire before opening the barrier and crossing the border at Kasindi, in Beni territory.
UN chief Antonio Guterres said he was “outraged” by the deadly incident and demanded “accountability”.
A total of five UN peacekeepers — three Moroccans and two Indians — died in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week, with three of the fatalities linked to violent protests in the town of Butembo.
