July 26. (DPA/EP) –
At least six people have died during the riots that occurred this Monday in the town of Goma, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), when a group of protesters broke into the headquarters of the UN Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in the country.
Protesters have forcibly entered the MONUSCO building in Goma and destroyed or stolen furniture before being dispersed by security forces with tear gas and gunfire, eyewitnesses told the DPA agency.
The protest took place after the president of the Congolese Senate, Modeste Bahati, asked MONUSCO on July 15 to “pack its bags” after 22 years of a presence in which “it has not been able to impose peace in the east of the country”.
Local civil society organizations have claimed that at least six people have died during the protests. The Police have detailed to the aforementioned agency that the attackers were criminals who had used the demonstration for their own purposes.
The UN Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has denounced “strongly” this Monday the attack on its facilities in Goma, by “a group of looters on the sidelines of a demonstration.”
“The Mission is deeply concerned about this very serious incident, which follows hostile comments and veiled threats by individuals and groups against the United Nations. MONUSCO recalls that its facilities are inviolable under the Inter-Nation Status of Forces Agreement and the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (SOFA),” the mission recalled in a statement.
Deputy Special Representative for Operations and Acting Head of Mission Khassim Diagne has called for appeasement and restraint, calling the incidents “unacceptable” and “counterproductive.”
“MONUSCO has a mandate from the Security Council to accompany the authorities in protecting civilians. It stands by the people and supports the national defense and security forces in their fight against armed groups. The Mission also supports Congolese authorities in their efforts to restore state authority,” Diagne said.
“It is not in chaos and confusion or division that we will make progress towards stabilization and peace,” added the acting head of the mission.
In this regard, MONUSCO has called on the Congolese authorities, political actors and civil society to denounce these acts of looting.”
“The Mission is at your disposal to continue working together to restore peace and security with national and provincial institutions,” MONUSCO assured in the letter.
MONUSCO has been stationed in northeast Congo for more than 20 years, in an attempt to shore up peace in the country despite the presence of some 130 different armed groups vying for control of the DRC’s vast natural resources, which They include copper, cobalt, gold and diamonds.
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