According to official figures released by the authorities, four United Nations soldiers and 32 demonstrators were killed during a week of demonstrations against the United Nations mission in several cities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Congolese government spokesman Patrick Moya said after the crisis meeting that the committee had reached “a high death toll of 36, distributed as follows: 13 deaths in Goma, 13 deaths in Butembo, including 4 blue hats, 4 deaths in Uvira, 3 deaths in Kanyabonga and the three dead in Kassindi.”
He explained that “in addition, there are about 170 injured”, stressing that “these dangerous and heinous events have undermined the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the Kasindi border crossing” with Uganda.
For his part, Beni Army spokesman Capt. Anthony Mwalochai said “Tanzanian” peacekeepers opened fire on Sunday returning from a vacation in Uganda before opening the barrier and crossing the Congolese border at the Kasindi border crossing.
Two people were killed on the spot, another 15 were injured, and one of them later died from his wounds, bringing the death toll to three and 14 injured.
Since 25 July, demonstrators accusing the peacekeepers of the ineffectiveness of their mission to neutralize hundreds of local and foreign armed groups have looted United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) facilities in Goma and Butembo.
Source: AFP