Anti-MONUSCO_protests

Anti-MONUSCO protests

Anti-MONUSCO protests

Protests against MONUSCO

In late July 2022, anti-MONUSCO protests manifested in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The protests were against MONUSCO, the United Nations' peacekeeping force in the country, which has been accused by Congolese politicians and civilians of failing to take action to end the decades-old conflict within the country. The protestors demanded that MONUSCO leave the country.

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Protests

On 25 July 2022, protests began in the Congolese city of Goma against MONUSCO, which the protestors accused of failing to take action to end the decades-old conflict within the country, and more protests later manifested the following day in Beni and Butembo. According to MONUSCO, protestors stole weapons from the police, and vandalized and looted UN facilities,[3] forcing UN personnel to evacuate the MONUSCO headquarters in Goma via a helicopter airlift.[4] The newspaper The North Africa Post alleged that March 23 Movement rebels had used the unrest as a cover, and been responsible for the attack on a contingent of Moroccan MONUSCO peacekeepers at Nyamilima during the protests.[1]

Deaths

According to Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya, five people were killed and a further 50 more were injured in Goma. Colonel Paul Ngoma, the police chief of Butembo, stated that seven people were killed in the city, and MONUSCO stated that one peacekeeper and two BSF police officers were also killed in Butembo.[3][5] On 27 July, four protestors were electrocuted by an electrical cable which was downed by UN soldiers.[6]

On 31 July, two people were killed and fifteen were injured in Beni when UN soldiers opened fire at a Congolese border post, forcing their way into the country from Uganda. A UN representative stated that the soldiers in question were arrested pending an investigation into the incident.[7][8] By 1 August, two Moroccan peacekeepers, namely Chief Corporal Azzouz Zhenadi and Major Mohammed Rami, and two Indian policemen, Shishupal Singh and Sanwala Ram Vishnoi, had been killed during the protests.[9]

According to an official report by the DR Congo government, 36 people had been killed and 170 wounded during the protests by August.[2]

Reactions

  •  United Nations: Farhan Haq, a spokesperson for the United Nations, stated: "He [António Guterres] underscores that any attack directed against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime and calls upon the Congolese authorities to investigate these incidents and swiftly bring those responsible to justice."[10]
  •  Democratic Republic of the Congo:
    • Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi mainly condemned the shooting of protesters by MONUSCO members.[2]
    • The party Forces for Renewal condemned the attacks and looting during the protests, and urged the Congolese people to not regard MONUSCO as enemies.[11]

Aftermath

In early August, the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo expelled UN spokesman Mathias Gillmann from the country, stating that he made "indelicate and inappropriate" statements which led to the high tensions between MONUSCO and the country's citizens. Congolese foreign affairs minister Christophe Lutundula stated that the Congolese government intended to speed up the process of MONUSCO's withdrawal from the country, which was originally planned for 2024.[12]

References

  1. [1]
    "UN Chief offers condolences to Morocco following death of Moroccan Blue Helmet in DRC". The North Africa Post. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  2. [2]
    "Bilan revu des manifestations anti-MONUSCO en RDC: 36 morts" [Review of anti-MONUSCO protests in the DRC: 36 dead]. RadioOkapi. 2 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  3. [3]
    "At Least 15 Killed as Anti-UN Protests Spread in Eastern DR Congo". Al Jazeera. 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  4. [4]
    "Protesters Demand UN Troops Leave DRC Amid Rising Conflict". Al Jazeera. 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  5. [5]
    Tiwary, Deeptiman (27 July 2022). "Two BSF Men Part of UN Peacekeeping Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo Killed". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2022.
  6. [6]
    Peyton, Nellie; Christensen, Sofia (27 July 2022). Janowski, Tomasz; Ellis, Aurora (eds.). "Four Civilians Electrocuted During Congo Anti-U.N. Protests". Reuters. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  7. [7]
    "UN Peacekeepers Open Fire in DR Congo, Causing Several Casualties". Al Jazeera. 31 July 2022. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  8. [8]
    Bujakera, Stanis (31 July 2022). "U.N. Brigade in Congo Opened Fire at Border Post, Killing Two". Reuters. Archived from the original on 7 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  9. [9]
    "Goma : dernier hommage de la MONUSCO aux casques bleus tués au front". RadioOkapi. 1 August 2022. Archived from the original on 3 August 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  10. [10]
    "Guterres Says Attack on UN in Congo may be War Crime, Asks for Investigation". France 24. 26 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  11. [11]
    "Le RCD/K-ML condamne les actes de violence contre les sites de la MONUSCO et en appelle à leur cessation immédiate" [The RCD/K-ML condemns the acts of violence against MONUSCO sites and calls for their immediate cessation]. RadioOkapi. 27 July 2022. Archived from the original on 30 July 2022. Retrieved 3 August 2022.
  12. [12]
    "DR Congo Expels UN Peacekeeping Mission Spokesman after Protests". Al Jazeera. 3 August 2022. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 5 August 2022.

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