Residents in a town in the Democratic Republic of Congo's say the UN MONUSCO mission is doing nothing to protect them from rebel attacks. The UN mission and Congo's military will launch joint operations in response.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/0AP Photo/A.-H. K. Maliro
Advertisement
Protesters in Beni, a town in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), stormed UN peacekeeping buildings and set fire to the town hall on Monday.
The citizens were protesting the UN mission's failure to protect them after eight people were killed and nine people kidnapped overnight by Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels.
Several hundred protesters stormed a compound of the UN MONUSCO peacekeeping mission in the DRC, with reports of looting and vehicles being set on fire.
The camp is said to have been evacuated before the protesters arrived.
Police confirmed the protesters had earlier torched the mayor's office.
At least two people were killed by gunshots during the protest, according to Safari Kazingufu, Beni police commander, speaking to the Reuters news agency.
Tweets from those in the region, including German publication TAZ's foreign and Africa editor, appear to show people breaking into the MONUSCO compound over fences.
Protesters and aid-workers are united in saying the MONUSCO mission is failing the residents of the eastern DRCImage: Reuters/File Photo/O. Oleksandr
Protesters, aid-workers and society leaders were united in saying the MONUSCO mission was failing the region.
"Residents are demanding the withdrawal of MONUSCO from Beni because of the inaction of UN forces," said Teddy Kataliko, a civil society leader in Beni.
"We are killed while MONUSCO is here to protect us. Let them go home. We do not need tourists in our country," Kasereka Fundi, a protester, told the AP news agency.
"At the moment, the security and UN forces are utterly failing in their obligation to protect people living in Beni" and elsewhere in Congo," said Seif Magango, Amnesty International's deputy director for East Africa, in a statement.
MONUSCO, Congo military to join forces
The demonstrations appeared to be successful — the presidential twitter account later announced the DR Congo military and UN peacekeepers will set up an advanced headquarters in Beni, following an emergency meeting.
The MONUSCO account had earlier released a series of tweets stating that it had not been invited by Congo's military to participate in an offensive against the ADF launched late last month.
ADF fighters have repeatedly attacked Beni residents over the past days. The ADF formed in Uganda in 1995 and the deaths of more than 1,500 people have been attributed to the force over the past five years.
The killings and violence has continued, despite MONUSCO replacing an earlier UN mission in the region in 2010.
On its website, MONUSCO states that it has been "authorized to use all necessary means to carry out its mandate relating, among other things, to the protection of civilians, humanitarian personnel and human rights defenders under imminent threat of physical violence."
UN peacekeeping missions in Africa
MONUSCO is the biggest and most expensive UN peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is only one of the many other African countries where the "blue helmets" are intervening.
Image: picture-alliance/AA/S. Mohamed
DR Congo: UN's largest mission
Since 1999, the UN has been trying to pacify the eastern region of the DR Congo. The mission known as MONUSCO has nearly 20,000 soldiers and an annual budget of $1.4 billion (1.3 billion euros). Despite being the largest and most expensive mission of the United Nations, violence in the country continues.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
Darfur: Powerless against violence
UNAMID is a joint mission of the African Union and the UN in Sudan's volatile Darfur region. Observers consider the mission a failure. "The UN Security Council should work harder at finding political solutions, rather than spending money for the military's long-term deployment," says security expert Thierry Vircoulon.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. G. Farran
S.Sudan: Turning a blind eye to fighting?
Since the beginning of South Sudan's civil war in 2013, nearly 4 million people have been displaced according to the UN. Some of them are being sheltered in UN compounds. But when clashes between government forces and rebels broke out in the capital Juba in July 2016, the blue helmets failed to effectively intervene. Later, the Kenyan UNMISS commander was sacked by former UN chief Ban Ki-moon.
Image: Getty Images/A.G.Farran
Mali: The most dangerous UN mission in the world
UN peacekeepers in Mali are monitoring compliance with the peace agreement between the government and an alliance of Tuareg-led rebels. But Islamist terrorist groups such as AQIM continue to carry out attacks making MINUSMA one of the UN's most dangerous military intervention in the world. Germany has deployed more than 700 soldiers as well as helicopters.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M. Kappeler
CAR: Sexual abuse scandals making headlines
MINUSCA, the UN's mission in Central Africa Republic has not helped to improve the image of the United Nations in Africa. French troops have been accused of sexually abusing children by the Code Blue Campaign. Three years on, victims haven't got any help from the UN. Since 2014, 10,000 soldiers and 1,800 police officers have been deployed. Violence in the country has receded but tensions remain.
Image: Sia Kambou/AFP/Getty Images
Western Sahara: Hope for lasting peace
The UN mission in the Westsahara known as MINURSO has been active since 1991. MINURSO is there to monitor the armistice between Morocco and the rebels of the "Frente Polisario" who are fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara. In 2016, Morocco which has occupied this territory since 1976, dismissed 84 MINURSO staff after being angered by a statement from the UN Secretary-General.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. Senna
Ivory Coast: Peaceful end of a mission
The UN mission in Ivory Coast fulfilled its objectives on June 30, 2016 after 14 years. Since 2016, the troops have been gradually withdrawn. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this was a "turning point for the United Nations and the Ivory Coast." But only after the full withdrawal will it be clearly known whether or not the mission was successful on a long-term basis.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/I. Sanogo
Liberia: Mission accomplished
The UN deployment in Liberia is - as in neighboring Ivory Coast - will soon be history. The soldiers are leaving by mid-2017. Since the end of the 14-year civil war, UNMIL has ensured stability in Liberia and helped build a functioning state. Liberia's government now wants to provide security for itself. The country is still struggling with the consequences of a devastating Ebola epidemic.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/K. Nietfeld
Sudan: Ethiopians as peace promoters?
The UNISFA soldiers are patrolling the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei. Sudan and South Sudan both claim to be rightful owners of this territory located between the two countries. More than 4,000 blue helmets from Ethiopia are deployed. Ethiopia is the world's second largest peace-keeping contributor. At the same time, the Ethiopian army is accused of human rights violations back home.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/A. G. Farran
Somalia: Future model AU mission?
UN peacekeepers in Somalia are fighting under the leadership of the African Union in a mission known as AMISOM. The soldiers are in the Horn of African country to battle the al-Shabaab Islamists and bring stability to the war-torn nation. Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria have all contributed their troops for AMISOM.
