'Over 120 wounded in DR Congo protests, violence'

ANKARA (AA) – Over 120 wounded people are being treated in hospitals following recent demonstrations and other violence around the North Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a humanitarian group said on Tuesday.

Protests have been held in several cities of the DRC this month against the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

Citizens say the UN mission has done nothing to protect civilians from armed groups and have called for its expulsion from the country.

Security forces have cracked down on the protests and violent clashes erupted in Goma, capital of North Kivu, over the death of two protesters, according to local media reports.

“More than 120 wounded people are being treated at Beni General Referral Hospital and Bethesda Hospital in Goma,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a statement.

Kelnor Panglungtshang, head of the ICRC team in Goma, said the group was extending all possible assistance to “help hospitals cope with the influx.”

“Currently almost all 74 beds at Bethesda Hospital are occupied, and all 43 beds at Beni General Referral Hospital are occupied,” the official said.

"Our teams have been mobilized for more than a week to help hospitals cope with the influx. We've also provided medical supplies and medicines to help hospitals, including the Congolese National Police Hospital, cope with the growing number of patients.”

The ICRC said it has also received reports of “children losing contact with their families during the recent violence north of Goma.”

“The organization is in contact with the local Red Cross to assess whether and how it might be able to help,” read the statement.