Call for the dismissal of the blue helmets that killed two civilians in the Congo

The Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has demanded this Monday that the blue helmets that on Sunday shot dead two civilians and injured 14 others “cannot continue to be part of MONUSCO”, the United Nations mission in the country. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, for his part, has been “outraged” by the “serious incident” that occurred in the town of Kasindi, on the border with Uganda.

The soldiers were returning from a permit in the neighboring country and, wanting to access the Congo, found the border closed. A discussion began that ended with the blue helmets opening fire on the Congolese policemen who were guarding the pass to enter the country “by force”, according to MONUSCO itself. Two civilians were killed in the firefight and 14 others were wounded.

“The Secretary General is both saddened and appalled at the loss of life and serious injury sustained during this incident. He expresses his deepest condolences to the affected families, the people of the DRC and the Congolese government, and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,” the United Nations said in a statement. The UN special representative in the country, Bintou Keita, has confirmed that the 67 soldiers involved have been arrested and an internal investigation has been opened to clarify what happened.

The killing of the two civilians followed a week of protests across the country against the presence of the UN mission. The mobilizations led to episodes of looting and looting of MONUSCO facilities that were harshly repressed by the security forces. At least 15 people lost their lives, including four members of MONUSCO.