DR Congo opens investigation after violence against foreign missions

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) – The Democratic Republic of Congo announced the launch of an investigation Sunday after protestors attacked foreign missions in the capital.

Protests erupted in Kinshasa against diplomatic missions and some international organizations on Saturday, with angry youths burning several vehicles belonging to some embassies and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO).

The demonstrators accused the international community of “indifference” in the face of the security and humanitarian crisis in eastern DR Congo.

The government condemned the acts of violence and called on the population to remain calm in a statement following an emergency security meeting convened by Interior Minister Peter Kazadi.

“The President of the Republic (Felix Tshisekedi) points out that even though we understand some of the frustrations of our compatriots with what is happening in the east of the country, the actions of the demonstrators violate several provisions of international law,” the statement said.

Announcing investigations, the government said it reinforced security at diplomatic missions in the country.

On Saturday, Bintou Keita, the head of MONUSCO, strongly condemned the attacks on UN personnel, stressing that “several vehicles” were torched during the protests.

She urged Congolese judicial authorities to open investigations with a view to prosecuting the perpetrators.

MONUSCO, which has been deployed in eastern DR Congo since 1999, is to start its gradual withdrawal from the region in April.

Thousands of people in the two most conflict-affected eastern provinces of North Kivu and Ituri live in camps.

A series of protests have erupted in DR Congo against the UN peacekeeping force, which people accuse of failing to curb violence by multiple armed groups.