Protests against UN peacekeepers in DRC claim at least 15 lives

Protests against United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) this week have resulted in the deaths of least 15 people, including three UN peacekeepers.

The protests, which began on Monday, were called for by a faction of the DRC’s UDPS ruling party’s youth wing.

Demonstrators attacked and vandalised UN properties, threw rocks and blocked roads during protests which began in the city of Goma, an aid hub close to the Rwandan border, before extending north to Beni and Butembo. They were calling for UN peacekeepers to withdraw, complaining that they have failed to bring peace, despite the peacekeeping mission, Monusco, costing more than €1 billion each year. Videos posted on social media showed demonstrators burning Monusco’s flag.

In a statement on Tuesday Monusco said the three peacekeepers killed in Butembo included one of the so-called “blue helmet” military personnel and two members of the UN police.

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A spokeswoman for the Irish Defence Forces said that the three Irish personnel serving with Monusco “are all accounted for and are safe and well”. The forces are continuing to monitor the situation, “which today in Goma is currently relatively calm”, the spokeswoman said.

UN secretary general António Guterres said, through a representative, that “any attack directed against UN peacekeepers may constitute a war crime”. He called upon the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and “swiftly bring those responsible to justice”.

A Reuters journalist in Goma reported seeing peacekeepers shoot dead at least two protesters. Four more protesters were killed on Wednesday in the city of Uvira when peacekeepers fired warning shots, striking an electric cable which then fell on them, Reuters reported. The UN has said they will investigate.

UN troops have been present in eastern DRC since 1999, where the conflict was said to have led to millions of deaths.

Monusco has since become one of the world’s largest peacekeeping missions, with nearly 18,000 personnel deployed as of last November. Pakistan is the largest listed contributor of peacekeepers, with nearly 2,000, followed by India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. The mission’s budget for last year was more than €1.1 billion.

There are dozens of armed groups active in the mineral-rich region of eastern DRC, including the Islamic State-affiliated Allied Democratic Forces.

Late last year rebel group M23 also re-emerged, seizing strategic positions and forcing retreats by both the Congolese army and Monusco. An M23 spokesman recently told Foreign Policy magazine that they are fighting because the government does not keep promises, and they want “good governance and an end to tribalism”. Since mid-June at least 29 civilians have been killed by M23 fighters, according to Human Rights Watch, while more than 170,000 people have been displaced since the resurgence began. The Congolese military accuses Rwanda of supporting M23 — claims Rwanda denies.