Two BSF personnel, who were a part of the UN peacekeeping mission known by its French acronym MONUSCO, were on Tuesday killed in anti-UN protests in the eastern DR Congo town of Butembo. Violent protests in the troubled region erupted on Monday, driven by accusations that MONUSCO was failing to act against armed groups.
Reinforcements of the UN Force (Army component) are on their way and unable to reveal details of personnel before intimating their next of kin.
Taking to Twitter, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar expressed grief over the deaths of two Indian peacekeepers of the Border Security Force and said perpetrators of these attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice. “Deeply grieved at the loss of lives of two valiant Indian peacekeepers of the BSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were part of the MONUSCO. The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice. Deepest condolences to the bereaved families,” he said.
Deeply grieved at the loss of lives of two valiant Indian peacekeepers of the BSF in the Democratic Republic of Congo. They were part of the MONUSCO. The perpetrators of these outrageous attacks must be held accountable and brought to justice .
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) July 26, 2022
As per reports received, locals had given a call for demonstration against MONUSCO throughout DR Congo. On Monday, the situation turned violent in Goma (about 350 km south of Beni and a big MONUSCO base) with looting and setting the United Nations buildings on fire. Both Beni and Butembo, where two BSF platoons were deployed on detachment since June 2, were on high alert. However, the situation in Butembo city turned violent on Tuesday as the camp of Morroco Rapid Deployment Battalion, where BSF platoons were stationed, got surrounded by demonstrators. Troops of Congolese Police and Congolese Army tried to control the crowd of over 500 people amid stones pelting. To contain the situation, the troops fired in air but protestors managed to breach the perimeter wall at three different places.
There were reports that armed rebels had infiltrated the demonstrators. The second attack was more fierce and was accompanied by fire from small arms. Morrocan and Indian troops fired in self defence.
Demonstrators have accused the peacekeeping forces of failing to protect civilians amid rising violence in Congo’s eastern region and are calling for the UN forces, present in Congo for years, to leave. Protesters blamed shots fired by the peacekeepers for the deaths.
DR Congo government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said in a tweet, “The government has instructed the security forces to take all measures to ensure a return to calm and the normal resumption of activities in Goma.” He also reiterated that steps are already being taken for the peacekeeping forces to be withdrawn.
Meanwhile, Deputy Spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Farhan Haq, said at the daily press briefing today that violence against the UN peacekeeping mission in the DR Congo is continuing to escalate. He said that at the UN Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO) base in Butembo, violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police and fired upon the UN uniformed personnel. “Sadly, one military Peacekeeper and two UN police personnel were killed and another was injured. We add our voice to the acting head of MONUSCO Khassim Diagne to condemn the killing of our colleagues and to express our deepest sympathy to their families and colleagues.”
In June 2021 and June 2022, the peacekeeping mission closed its office in Congo’s Kasai Central and Tanganyika regions. The mission has more than 16,000 uniformed personnel in Congo, according to the UN.
The protests are taking place as fighting has escalated between Congolese troops and the M23 rebels, forcing nearly 200,000 people to flee their homes. The M23 forces have shown increased firepower and defense capabilities, according to a report by Human Rights Watch.
Congo’s east is home to myriad rebel groups and the region’s security has worsened despite a year of emergency operations by a joint force of the armies of Congo and Uganda. Civilians in the east have also had to deal with violence from jihadi rebels linked to the Islamic State group.
(with inputs from Associated Press)
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