Congo clashes leave 26 dead, says local official

author: FutureCar Staff    

A clash between armed forces and members of a religious sect protesting Western organizations operating in northeastern Congo has resulted in the death of at least 26 people, according to a local official. The violence erupted in the city of Goma, where followers of the Wazalendo sect had gathered for a protest that had been banned by the city mayor. The protesters were expressing their opposition to a U.N. peacekeeping mission and other international organizations, which they accused of exerting colonial-like power.

The clash between the protesters and the Congolese armed forces occurred early on Wednesday. Protesters claimed that the army fired live rounds indiscriminately at them, while the army stated that the protesters had stoned a policeman to death. As a result of the clash, 26 civilians were killed and at least 50 were injured, according to a preliminary investigation. The Ndosho hospital in Goma was overwhelmed with injured patients.

The protest had been banned by Goma's Mayor on August 23, shortly after it was announced. Congolese security and defense forces were stationed at major intersections in anticipation of the protest, which turned violent around 4 a.m. on Wednesday. The religious sect, led by Ephraim Bisimwa, opposes the presence of Western organizations in the area, including the U.N. peacekeeping mission known as MONUSCO.

U.N. peacekeeping missions have been operating in Congo since 1999. The northeastern region of the country has been plagued by conflict for three decades, resulting in the displacement of over 6 million people, according to the U.N. The crisis has escalated since 2021, and critics argue that the peacekeeping mission has failed to effectively protect civilians from the overlapping conflicts in eastern Congo. The mission was also the target of deadly protests in July 2022.

FutureCar Staff