At least one person killed in anti-UN protests in eastern DRC

Beni  — At least one person was killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) city of Beni on Tuesday when shots were fired during another protest against the UN’s Monusco peacekeeping mission there, a police spokesperson said.

Protesters on motorbikes had gathered and blocked a Monusco convoy in Beni — a continuation of violent demonstrations against the mission that have killed dozens, including civilians, peacekeepers and Congolese police elsewhere in eastern DRC since July.

One motorcycle taxi driver was killed when shots broke out, Beni police spokesperson Nasson Katembo said without giving further details about who was responsible for the gunfire.

Monusco did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the incident. In August  the head of Monusco, Bintou Keita, said Monusco was now present in only three provinces of the DRC. She said “certainly [there are] Congolese who demand Monusco’s departure, but there are many others who also demand that the mission remain in the DRC and continue to support the government”, African Business reported.

The situation was calm by midafternoon, a Reuters reporter said.

UN peacekeeping troops have been accused of retaliating with force during the recent protests against them in the eastern cities of Butembo and Goma, which saw hundreds of protesters throw rocks and petrol bombs and set fire to UN buildings.

The protests have been spurred by complaints that the peacekeepers have failed to protect civilians against militia violence that has raged for years. The mission has been deployed to the DRC for more than two decades and costs more than $1bn per year.

Meanwhile, an improvised bomb exploded in the eastern DRC city of Butembo on Tuesday, wounding two agents when it detonated outside the office of the national intelligence agency, a military spokesperson said in a statement.

An investigation was ongoing to determine who was behind the attack, the statement said. 

Reuters