At least five people have been killed and fifty others wounded on the second day of anti-United Nations protests in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo city of Goma, according to the government.More than 120 armed groups roam the volatile region, where civilian massacres are common and conflict has displaced millions of people.
The protest comes after the president of the DRC Senate, Modeste Bahati, told supporters in Goma on July 15 that MONUSCO should “pack its bags”.
“We will come back during the day with [a special briefing] on the human and material toll as well as the consequences to be drawn. We will also take stock of the process of withdrawing the @MONUSCO that has already begun,” tweeted government spokesman Patrick Muyaya, on Tuesday.
Earlier, Reuters reported that at least two demonstrators have been shot dead by UN peacekeepers, according to a Reuters witness.
An AFP journalist also reported seeing one UN soldier shoot a protester dead. Demonstrations against the perceived ineffectiveness of the UN peacekeeping operation MONUSCO against armed groups in the country, erupted on Monday.
Hundreds of people blocked roads and chanted anti-UN slogans on Monday before breaking into the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission in Goma, an important commercial hub of North Kivu province.
The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCO, has come under regular local criticism for its perceived inability to stop fighting in the conflict-torn east.
