MONUSCO , UN pay tribute to 5 peacekeepers killed in DR Congo

Members of the UN mission in Democratic Republic of Congo(MONUSCO) and UN Under-Secretary-General Jean-Pierre Lacroix paid tribute Monday at a ceremony in Goma to the three Moroccan and two Indian peacekeepers killed last week in the eastern region of the country.

Last week, deadly demonstrations demanding the departure of the United Nations mission took place in several towns in eastern DRC.
The demonstrators accused the peacekeepers of ineffectiveness in the fight against the hundred or so armed groups roaming in the eastern provinces of the country, sowing violence and chaos.

A total of 19 people, including three peacekeepers, were killed in the violent protests.

A Moroccan peacekeeper was killed Tuesday in Butembo during violent anti-MONUSCO demonstrations. In the same circumstances, two UN police officers of Indian nationality were also killed.

The next day, a soldier from the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) contingent deployed in the DRC died in Butembo in North Kivu. The soldier died after being accidentally shot by a UN police officer who was part of the teams sent to reinforce the Moroccan military, following aggressive demonstrations by the local population against the presence of MONUSCO, according to a statement from the FAR General Staff.

A fifth peacekeeper, a FAR soldier, was killed in the town of Bunagana in Rutshuru territory, where peacekeepers are supporting the DRC’s armed forces in operations against the March 23 Movement, a rebellion backed by Rwanda, according to Congolese authorities.

“We must be attentive to the sometimes completely unfounded reasons that motivate this hostility (towards the Blue Helmets) in order to learn all the lessons and work jointly with the Congolese authorities to make the necessary improvements,” said Bintou Keita, the head of MONUSCO in Goma where tributes were paid to the Blue Helmets.

“The best service we can render to all those who have lost their lives is to redouble our efforts and to do so in such a way that these episodes of violence do not recur,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of the UN peace department.

Yet, as the tribute ceremony was held, protesters tried to march on a MONUSCO base in the town of Beni, forcing the Congolese police and army to fire warning shots to disperse them.

Congolese security forces set up tents and erected security perimeters in front of MONUSCO base in Beni. The peacekeepers have also stepped up security measures at their facilities with armored vehicles and battle tanks.

Present in the DRC since 1999, MONUC (UN Mission in Congo), which became MONUSCO (UN Stabilization Mission in DRC) in 2010, currently has more than 14,000 peacekeepers, with an annual budget of one billion dollars.