In eastern Goma, five people were killed and fifty were injured. The day before, at least six people had been killed in demonstrations there. Blue helmets would have shot at least two people. Protesters stormed UN headquarters in Goma, smashing windows and looting. They were pushed back by security guards with tear gas and firearms.
The UN Monusco mission in Congo is one of the largest peacekeeping missions in the world and has been running for twenty years. More than 120 armed groups are active in the country who want to take advantage of the country’s raw materials, such as copper, gold and diamonds. Massacres among the population are frequent, especially in the east. There is therefore a lot of criticism of the mission, because the violence in the region does not stop.
Members of President Felix Tshisekedi’s party and civil society organizations had called for demonstrations. The Senate President has asked Monusco to leave Congo.