Three UN peacekeepers and seven demonstrators were killed, and at least 50 more people injured in the riots in Goma, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Tuesday. A mob stormed the headquarters and logistics center of the MONUSCO mission in the eastern Congolese city, forcing the evacuation of the UN staff.
A civilian was fatally shot outside the UN logistic base in Goma on Tuesday, AFP reported citing its correspondent on the ground. Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said that security forces had fired “warning shots” at the crowd in order to stop the attacks on UN troops and staff.
The peacekeepers’ base in Goma was surrounded by hundreds of hostile protesters on Monday, chanting slogans before storming the premises. UN security personnel fired teargas to try and disperse them, while helicopters airlifted the staff from the base. Reporters later saw the crowd smash windows and loot the compound, as well as burn the entrance gate.
According to Al Jazeera, the protest was organized by a faction linked to President Felix Tshisekedi’s ruling UDPS party. The rioters demanded the mission’s departure, accusing the peacekeepers of failing to protect civilians.