DRC crackdown on anti-UN rally leaves dozens dead
Nearly 50 people were killed and 56 wounded in army crackdown on violent anti-UN demonstrations in eastern Goma city, says Democratic Republic of Congo.
People arrested during a military operation to prevent a planned demonstration against the United Nations by a religious sect, sit on the ground and guarded by the army in Goma. / Photo: AFP
At least 48 people have been killed in a crackdown on an anti-UN protest in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], according to sources and official documentation reviewed by the AFP news agency, raising a previously reported death toll.
On Wednesday, DRC soldiers stopped a religious sect from holding a demonstration against United Nations peacekeepers in the eastern city of Goma.
Some ten people were initially reported killed after the troops entered a radio station and a place of worship, according to local sources.
A policeman was also lynched in the violence.
But an internal army document consulted by AFP on Thursday, and verified by security officials, gave a toll of 48 people killed in the incident — in addition to the slain policeman — and 75 people wounded.
The document also said soldiers seized a number of bladed weapons and arrested 168 people, including the leader of the Christian-animist sect, which is named "Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith towards the Nations".
DRC's pro-democracy activist group LUCHA also stated on Thursday that the number of people killed was "close to 50".
In a statement late on Thursday, the government put the toll at "43 dead, with 56 wounded and 158 people apprehended, including the sect leader".
It said it supported "the investigation opened by the military auditor... so that those responsible can be brought to justice".
"Congolese security forces shot and killed dozens of protesters, and wounded scores more," Human Rights Watch said in a statement.
DRC forces "appear to have fired into a crowd to prevent a demonstration, an extremely callous as well as unlawful way to enforce a ban," said Thomas Fessy, senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The organisation said, "senior military officials who ordered the use of unlawful lethal force should be suspended, investigated, and held accountable in fair and public trials".
Militants continue to hold sway over much of the eastern regions, despite the presence of peacekeepers.
MONUSCO's departure and M23 rebellion
The latest violence comes amid an ongoing debate over when the UN peacekeeping force in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, should leave the country.
DRC President Felix Tshisekedi told French media last year there was no reason for MONUSCO to remain beyond the December 2023 presidential election.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres also said in August that the peacekeeping mission is in its final phase.
The departure date remains unclear, however.
"MONUSCO continues to be a focus of popular discontent and frustration over its perceived inaction," Guterres said.
Although UN officials admit to broad frustrations, they also argue that MONUSCO is subject to disinformation campaigns.
The force has a current strength of about 16,000 uniformed personnel, mainly deployed in the country's mineral-rich east.
Militants continue to hold sway over much of the region, despite the presence of peacekeepers.
One group, the M23, has captured swathes of territory in North Kivu province since 2021, for example.
Several Western nations, including the United States and France, as well as independent UN experts, have concluded that Rwanda is backing the Tutsi-led M23.
Rwanda denies this, however.
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