At least 36 people have been killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after a week of protests against the United Nations mission. The news has come to light thanks to a new provisional balance sheet.
It concerns 13 dead in Goma, 13 in Butembo, of whom 4 are blue helmets, 4 dead in Uvira, 3 dead in Kanyabaengo and 3 dead in Kasindi, a spokesman for the Congolese government said.
About 170 people have already been injured. “These serious and outrageous incidents have undermined the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the border with Uganda,” spokesman Patrick Muyaya said.
The UN mission has been stationed in northeastern Congo for more than 20 years. It is the largest peacekeeping mission in the world, but it is now accused of taking too little action against armed gangs.
Some 130 different armed groups are said to be active in the Central African country, many of them seeking control over the country’s valuable resources, such as copper, cobalt, gold and diamonds.
