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☆ U.N. Peacekeeping Mission Says Staff, Vehicles Attacked in Congolese Capital
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Democratic Republic of Congo said its staff and vehicles were attacked in the capital Kinshasa on Saturday as a worsening eastern security crisis fuels a backlash against the mission. Crowds on motorbikes gathered in the riverside Gombe district, where the U.N. mission known as MONUSCO and many embassies are located. A number of the mission's vehicles were torched, said MONUSCO head Bintou Keita in an online post. Photos You Should See View All 21 ImagesKinshasa police and the government did not respond to a request for comment. The fighting "could compromise food security and economic activities in Goma and the region.

Persons: Bintou Keita, OCHA, MONUSCO, Ange Kasongo, Justin Makangara, Ange Aboa, Alessandra Prentice, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Democratic, Kinshasa Locations: KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kinshasa, Gombe, Ivorian, Goma, North Kivu, Congo, Congolese, Abidjan

☆ Thousands sheltering in hospital as fighting escalates in Democratic Republic of Congo
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Sarah Dean | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Thousands of people are seeking shelter inside an “overwhelmed” hospital amid an escalation of fighting in North Kivu province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned on Thursday. At least 2,500 people, including children, are currently sheltering in Mweso Hospital, around 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the provincial capital Goma. “The hospital is overwhelmed, with thousands of people crowded inside, trying to find some protection from the fighting. In recent years, protesters have taken to the streets to demand the withdrawal of UN forces for failing to rein in rebel groups, including M23. The M23 group was named after a March 23, 2009, peace deal, which it accused the government of violating.

Persons: ”, Çaglar Tahiroglu, Jean, Pierre Lacroix, Felix Tshisekedi Organizations: CNN, Democratic, MSF, Ministry of Health, United Nations, UN, Rwandan Locations: North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Mweso, Goma, Congolese, Rwanda

"After 25 years of presence, MONUSCO will definitively leave the DRC no later than the end of 2024,” Keita said at a media briefing in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa. The end of the mission will not be “the end of the United Nations” in the country, she added. The U.N. and Congolese officials worked together to produce a disengagement plan for “a progressive, responsible, honorable and exemplary withdrawal of MONUSCO,” Congolese Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said. Modalities have also been set for “the gradual transfer of tasks from MONUSCO to Congolese government,” Lutundula added. The violence is occasioned by rampant mass killings and has displaced nearly 7 million people.

Persons: Bintou Keita, MONUSCO, ” Keita, Christophe Lutundula, ” Lutundula, —, “ Organizations: Central, United Nations, East Locations: KINSHASA, Congo, Congolese, Central African, South Kivu, North Kivu, Ituri, Kinshasa, MONUSCO, East African

☆ Conflict uproots record 6.9 million people in Congo -IOM
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Paul... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreJOHANNESBURG, Oct 30 (Reuters) - Conflict and escalating violence have uprooted a record 6.9 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, mostly in the east of the country, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Monday. Years of rebel conflict and recurrent natural disasters have helped fuel one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world. Most of those forced to flee their homes live in the eastern provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri and Tanganyika, according to the data collected by the United Nations. In North Kivu alone, up to one million people have been displaced due the ongoing conflict with a Tutsi-led rebel group M23, IOM said. The most recent escalation of the conflict has uprooted more people in less time like rarely seen before," said Fabien Sambussy, IOM's head of mission in Congo.

Persons: Paul, Fabien Sambussy, Anait, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: United Nations Organization Stabilization, Democratic, REUTERS, International Organization for Migration, United Nations, IOM, Thomson Locations: Democratic Republic of, Congo, Djugu's, Ituri's province, Democratic Republic of Congo, JOHANNESBURG, North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Tanganyika, Congolese

☆ Congo Colonel Found Guilty of Murder for Role in Goma Massacre in Aug
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

By Arlette BashiziGOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - A Congolese colonel has been found guilty of murder and other crimes related to the August killing of 56 people during an army crackdown on anti-U.N. demonstrations in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, a local court said on Monday. Colonel Mike Mikombe, who was head of the Republican Guard unit in the city of Goma, where the incident took place, was one of six soldiers on trial. He was sentenced to death, but the death penalty is no longer applied in Congo, and is generally commuted to life imprisonment. The U.N. peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo, known as MONUSCO, has faced protests since last year, spurred partly by complaints that it has failed to protect civilians against decades of militia violence. An anti-MONUSCO protest in July 2022 resulted in more than 15 deaths, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.

Persons: Arlette Bashizi, Mike Mikombe, Serge Lukanga, Sonia Rolley, Edward McAllister, Christian Schmollinger Organizations: Democratic, Republican Guard Locations: Arlette Bashizi GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Congolese, Goma, Congo, Butembo

☆ Pictures of the month: September
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

[19/60]Relatives react as the coffin of a protestor killed during a demonstration against the presence of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) and East Africa Community Regional Force (EACRF), is carried before burial at the Makao cemetery in Goma, North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of the Congo September 18. REUTERS/Arlette BashiziGOMA, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the

Persons: Arlette Bashizi Organizations: United Nations Organization Stabilization, Democratic, East Africa Community Regional Force, REUTERS Locations: Democratic Republic of, Congo, Goma, North Kivu province, Arlette Bashizi GOMA, Democratic Republic

☆ Congo president asks UN peacekeepers to start packing up this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-21 | by ( Ange Adihe Kasongo | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo addresses the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City, U.S., September 20, 2023. But its presence has become increasingly unpopular in recent years for what critics say is a failure to protect civilians against militia groups, sparking deadly protests. "It is to be deplored that peacekeeping missions deployed for 25 years... have failed to cope with the rebellions and armed conflicts," Tshisekedi told the assembly in a speech. More than 40 people were killed and dozens wounded in an army crackdown on violent anti-U.N. demonstrations in the eastern city of Goma last month. Another protest in July 2022 resulted in more than 15 deaths, including three peacekeepers in Goma and the city of Butembo.

Persons: Felix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, Eduardo Munoz, Felix Tshisekedi, Tshisekedi, Ange Kasongo, Edward McAllister, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Democratic, General Assembly, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, General, Central, of, Thomson Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, New York City, U.S, Rights KINSHASA, Republic, Goma, Butembo

CNN —Dozens of people were killed in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo this week during demonstrations against the United Nations’ mission in the country. At least 43 people were killed and a further 53 were injured during the clashes with local authorities. Over 150 people were arrested, including the leader of the group which organized the protests, the government said. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday called for DRC authorities to ensure that “future law enforcement actions in the context of the policing of public assemblies fully adhere to international human rights norms and standards.”Anti-UN protests in the DRC broke out in July and have since escalated. The UN has a longstanding and significant footprint in the country, which has been the object of local demonstrations for years.

Persons: “, ”, MONUSCO, ’, ” Ravina Shamdasani, ” Shamdasani, Volker Türk Organizations: CNN, Democratic, United Nations, Protesters, Wednesday, East African Community, UN, Human Rights, Human Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, Goma, ”, Congolese, ’ Goma, DRC

CNN —At least 46 people, including 23 children, were killed and six were wounded at a displacement camp in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to network of observers based in the country. The Kivu Security Tracker said the incident happened in the Djugu territory following an attack by the militia group ‘Codeco,’ on Monday. “At least 46 civilians were killed and six wounded on Monday 12 June at the #Lala displaced persons camp (Djugu territory, #Ituri) following an incursion of #CODECO,” Kivu Security said on Twitter. Kivu Security added that the attack was the deadliest experienced in the area in more than a year. “MONUSCO has reinforced its security presence in the area, in liaison with the provincial authorities,” a statement by MONUSCO chief said.

Persons: ’, “, Monusco ’, “ MONUSCO, MONUSCO, LUCHA Organizations: CNN, Democratic, ” Kivu Security, Twitter, Kivu Security, UN, ADF Locations: Democratic Republic of Congo, DRC, Kivu, Ituri, ” Kivu, North Kivu, Congolese, Kasindi

☆ UN paints Congo helicopters orange to protect against attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

World Food Programme/Handout via REUTERSKINSHASA, April 20 (Reuters) - The United Nations has painted bright orange its two white helicopters providing humanitarian relief in eastern Congo in an effort to protect them from militia attacks by distinguishing them from other aircraft. Last year, the U.N. recorded 293 security incidents that affected relief missions to east Congo, resulting in the death of nine humanitarian workers. The U.N. Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS) unveiled the two repainted World Food Programme helicopters this week. Their colour is meant to avoid confusion with the white ones used by the U.N. peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, which have been attacked in the past. Eight peacekeepers were killed when a MONUSCO helicopter on a reconnaissance mission crashed in the midst of rebel fighting in March last year.

☆ U.N. paints Congo helicopters orange to protect against attacks
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

☆ One peacekeeper killed in Congo after U.N. chopper comes under fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo Feb 5 (Reuters) - One U.N. peacekeeper from South Africa was killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday when a helicopter operated by the peacekeeping force came under fire while in mid-air, the U.N. mission in Congo and South Africa's military said. The helicopter came under fire after taking off from the city of Beni in the early afternoon. The U.N. peacekeeping mission of around 18,200 personnel has been deployed in eastern Congo since taking over from a previous U.N. operation in 2010. Eight peacekeepers were killed last year when their helicopter crashed in a part of North Kivu province, where the Congolese army was fighting a rebel group known as the M23. Reporting by Fiston Mahamba, Erikas Mwisi Kambale, Sonia Rolley Editing by Alessandra Prentice and Lisa ShumakerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Civilians attack U.N. peacekeeping convoy in eastern Congo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov 2 (Reuters) - Civilians attacked a United Nations peacekeeping convoy in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday evening, injuring two people, the U.N. mission said on Wednesday. The convoy was attacked when it stopped at an army checkpoint near an internally displaced persons site in Kanyarutshinya, 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the city of Goma. A crowd assembled and threw stones at the convoy, setting fire to at least one truck, the U.N. mission, MONUSCO, said on Twitter. REUTERS/Arlette Bashizi 1 2 3Frustration has grown in the region this year with the U.N. mission, which civilians accuse of failing to protect them from worsening militia violence. Earlier on Tuesday, the U.N. announced a "strategic and tactical" withdrawal of 450 peacekeepers from Rumangabo, located further north, near Virunga Park.

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