DR Congo: Eight Civilians Dead in Clashes With UN Convoy

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Facts

• Eight civilians were killed and 28 wounded on Tuesday as clashes erupted in the east Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) North-Kivu province after protesters blocked and attacked a convoy of UN peacekeepers.¹
• The casualties were confirmed on Wednesday by Lt. Gen. Constant Ndima, who added that those killed had been displaced by attacks of the allegedly Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group in the territories of Nyiragongo and Rutshuru.²
• The UN mission MONUSCO, which has been in the DRC since 1999 and deploys some 16K soldiers, reported that the convoy was returning from a resupply mission north of the provincial capital, Goma, when rebels set four of its trucks on fire at Kanyaruchinya.³
• Anti-UN sentiment has risen in DRC since the M23 staged a brutal offensive last year that has displaced hundreds of thousands and killed dozens. Uprooted civilians are reportedly claiming MONUSCO and regional forces are failing to protect them.¹
• Protests against the peacekeepers have grown over the past months, with demonstrators storming MONUSCO facilities across the country in July to demand their departure. At least 36 people, including four peacekeepers, were reportedly killed.⁴
• M23 has seized significant territory in East Africa since its comeback in November 2021 and is one of the many militia groups that have caused disturbances in the mineral-rich country for decades.⁵

Sources: ¹Reuters, ²Peoples dispatch, ³Al Jazeera, ⁴The defense post and ⁵Africanews.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The new humanitarian. While violence must be condemned, the Congolese people have a right to be upset with the UN peacekeepers. Decades of MONUSCO presence in the country have failed to subside rebel attacks and conflict that have displaced nearly 200K people. Furthermore, the UN mission has neither listened to the Congolese people about their grievances nor denounced Rwanda's involvement in this crisis.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by Economist. Though it's undeniable that MONUSCO has fallen short of achieving its mandate to stabilize the country and bring peace to eastern Congo, demanding UN peacekeepers leave the country is not a solution. As peacekeepers are the only ones ultimately trying to protect civilians, their departure would benefit only rebels and unscrupulous soldiers.