Three of the victims are soldiers from the UN mission in the country, as reported by the Army
Three members of the UN mission -Monusco- and at least twelve protesters were killed this Tuesday in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the second day of protests against the international organization. In the town of Butembo (east), “three dead among the members of Monusco, two Indians and a Moroccan, and one wounded” were recorded, while on the “side of the protesters, seven dead and several wounded,” he told AFP Colonel Paul Ngoma.
Hours earlier, the Congolese government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya, had reported “at least five deaths” among protesters in Goma, the provincial capital.
Throughout the morning, the situation seemed tense in Butembo, an important regional economic hub where commercial activities were at a standstill. “Among these young people there are weapons,” lamented agent Ngoma. In front of a Monusco base, the demonstrators were dispersed by the security forces, according to witnesses.
In Goma, the capital of the province, an AFP correspondent reported the death of a protester, hit in the head by a bullet that would have been fired from inside the Monusco logistics base. A Congolese army ambulance later picked up the body, according to the journalist.
Early in the morning, hundreds of demonstrators invaded the surroundings of the Monusco compound in Goma and attacked the transit camp of the international organization’s mission located on the outskirts of the city center.
‘We don’t want Monusco anymore’ or ‘bye bye Monusco’, read the banners held by those gathered to protest against the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Congolese security forces tried to contain the crowd near the logistics base.
#wave #protests #blue #helmets #deaths #Congo