Last updated on August 3rd, 2022 at 06:20 am
The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, expressed his “outrage” after UN peacekeepers opened fire during an incident on Sunday in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the border with Uganda, causing the deaths of two people and the injuries of several others. The United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has confessed that some of its peacekeepers had fired their weapons “for unknown reasons,” and it has also stated that arrests have already been made.
A statement from the United Nations claimed that when Guterres found out about the incident, he was “saddened and appalled.” “The necessity of establishing accountability for these incidents is emphasized in the clearest possible terms by the Secretary-General.” “He welcomes the decision of his special representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to detain the MONUSCO personnel involved in the incident and to immediately open an investigation,” the statement went on to say. He welcomes the decision of his special representative in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to detain the MONUSCO personnel involved in
A video of the incident that was published on social media shows men approaching an immobilized UN convoy that was located behind a closed barrier in Kasindi. At least one of the guys was wearing a police outfit, while another was wearing an army uniform. The town may be found in the Beni territory of the eastern DR Congo, which lies adjacent to Uganda. Following a verbal altercation, the peacekeepers gave the appearance of opening fire, after which they opened the barrier and drove through while the civilians scattered or hid.
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According to a statement released earlier on Sunday by the United Nations mission in Kasindi, “during this incident, soldiers from the intervention brigade of the MONUSCO force returning from leave opened fire at the border post for unexplained reasons and forced their way through,” the statement read. The Democratic Republic of the Congo “strongly condemns and deplores this unfortunate incident in which two compatriots died and 15 others were injured according to a provisional roll,” said government spokesman Patrick Muyaya in a statement. “This serious incident caused loss of life and serious injuries.”
The government has stated that it has begun an inquiry in conjunction with MONUSCO to determine who was responsible for the shooting, why it occurred, and that it will make certain that “serious punishments” are given. According to a statement released by the UN mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations envoy there, Bintou Keita, expressed that she was “very startled and dismayed by this dreadful occurrence.” According to a statement released by MONUSCO, “in the face of this unthinkable and irresponsible behavior, the perpetrators of the shooting have been identified and arrested pending the findings of the inquiry, which has already begun in partnership with the Congolese authorities.”
The UN mission said that the home nations of the troops had been notified so that legal action could be initiated as quickly as possible, with the participation of witnesses and survivors; this might potentially result in exemplary punishments.
Earlier, Barthelemy Kambale Siva, the agent of the governor of North Kivu in Kasindi, stated that “eight people, including two policemen who were working at the barrier, were gravely hurt” in the event. Two of the policemen were injured while working at the barrier. During an interview with AFP, Kambale Siva did not provide an explanation for why the UN convoy had been prohibited from passing.
More than 120 different militias are active in the conflict-ridden east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In 1999, the United Nations sent an observation mission to the area for the first time. In 2010, it was officially designated as the peacekeeping mission MONUSCO, which stands for the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its mandate includes the authority to carry out offensive actions. According to the United Nations, there have been 230 members of the force who have been killed.
During the past week, fatal protests demanding the withdrawal of UN personnel took place in various cities located in the eastern region of the DRC. There were a total of 19 fatalities, including three individuals serving as peacekeepers. Anger has been fueled by the notion that MONUSCO is not doing enough to stop attacks by the armed groups, and this perception has contributed to the anger. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the undersecretary-general of the United Nations for peace operations, was in the country in central Africa on Saturday to “speak to the Congolese authorities,” as he stated.
“(They would) investigate methods in which we can both avoid a repetition of these unfortunate tragedies and, above all, work better together to achieve our objectives,” he said. “(They would) study ways in which we can both avoid a recurrence of these tragic episodes.” “We expect that the requirements will be realized, most notably the return of state authority, in order for MONUSCO to be able to finish its mandate as quickly as possible.” and to make room for a variety of other types of international support.
