At least 15 people have been killed in demonstrations against the United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, authorities say.
According to police in DR Congo, seven protesters and three UN peacekeepers were killed in the city of Butembo in North Kivu province.
The DR Congo Government earlier indicated that some five people were killed in the provincial capital Goma – some 200km (125 miles) further south.
Local media reports monitored by African Entertainment revealed that the protesters in the eastern city were shot by peacekeepers.
The UN mission in DR Congo, Monusco, was yet to respond to the reports of the said killings as at the time www.africanentertainment.com was filing this story.
Reports say the protesters were mainly requesting the peacekeeping force (Monusco) to leave the DR Congo.
According to the demonstrators, Monusco has failed to restore peace in the region, amid a resurgence of the M23 rebel movement.
In recent times, the DR Congo has witnessed an increase in violence, with citizens accusing the UN peacekeepers of being woefully ineffective. African Entertainment understands that there are over 100 active rebel groups in the east of DR Congo.
The 15 people were reported to have been killed on the second day of the protest as they asked the UN to withdraw its peacekeepers.
Protesters stormed and looted the UN mission’s local headquarters and a logistical base in the city of Goma on Monday, July 25, 2022, local media reports say.
Officials said some five people were killed on Monday when the protesters stormed the UN mission’s local headquarters.
The demonstrations were called by the Congolese government’s youth wing.
Monusco has been in DR Congo since 2010 and currently has approximately 18,000 personnel in the country, including more than 12,000 soldiers, with Pakistan, India and Bangladesh have providing the largest number of troops.
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Source: africanentertainment.com
