The death toll during the protests against the presence of the United Nations Organization (UN) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has risen to 22, according to local authorities.
The government spokesman, Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, confirmed on Wednesday the existence of at least 22 dead and 67 woundedincluding some serious ones.
Protesters took to the streets to demand the withdrawal of the UN mission from the DRC (MONUSCO), accusing it of ineffectiveness in the face of violence in the east of the country, where at least 122 rebel groups operate, according to the Kivu Security Barometer. (KST) newspaper. ).
I reiterate that the mission is in the DRC at the invitation of the government to help protect civilians and promote stability,” said the acting head of the UN peacekeeping mission, Khassim Diagne.
The UN considered that the attack on facilities in the east of the country, which resulted in the death of three UN officials, may constitute a war crime.
The allegation was made by the deputy spokesman for the UN Secretary General, Farhan Haq, who, in a statement, added that “any attack directed against the ‘blue helmets’ can be considered a war crime”, for which he asked the DRC authorities to “investigate this incident and swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.
The population erected barricades in different parts of the city, in addition to lighting fires in front of some UN buildings, while a large part of the organization’s workers in the province had to be evacuated.
The attack came after the president of the Congolese Senate (Upper House), Modeste Bahati Lukwebo, accused MONUSCO of not being effective in mid-July, demanding its withdrawal.
Since 1998, the east of the DRC has been mired in a conflict fueled by rebel militias and attacks by army soldiers, despite the presence of the UN mission, with some 14,000 troops.
Source: Observadora
