At Least 7 Killed in Anti-UN Protest in Goma, Congo

The Congolese army reported that at least six protesters and one police officer were killed in Goma, eastern Congo, on Wednesday, when a demonstration against the United Nations peacekeeping mission and other foreign organizations turned violent. Organizers of the protest had called for it to be peaceful, but images circulated on social media showed men and women in civilian clothes armed with sticks and stones beating a police officer restrained on the ground. Reuters was unable to independently verify the authenticity of the images and footage. The Congolese army stated in a statement that six protesters died in the subsequent violence and that 158 others were detained. A UN source indicated that the death toll was at least eight, including two soldiers and a police officer. Since 2022, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has faced protests due to complaints about the peacekeepers' failure to protect civilians from militia violence over the years. An anti-MONUSCO protest in July 2022 resulted in the deaths of more than 15 people, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.