Security ramped up amid anti-UN protest in DR Congo

KINSHASA, Democratic Republic of the Congo

Security forces were deployed on Monday to a UN base besieged by protesters in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Demonstrators, mainly activists of youth group Lutte Pour Le Changement (LUCHA), have been protesting outside a base of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) in the town of Butembo.

“MONUSCO must leave. Civilians are being killed in Beni [city] like sheep, while the peacekeepers do absolutely nothing. It remains a mission just to justify salaries and unnecessary budget,” said David Kambale, a protester who spoke to Anadolu Agency by phone.

The protests have paralyzed socioeconomic activities in Butembo, a town some 44 kilometers (27 miles) away from Beni, which is a stronghold of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a rebel group behind most attacks on civilians in the region.

Sylvain Kanyamanda, mayor of Butembo, has opposed calls for the expulsion of UN forces, saying they “cannot leave just because LUCHA demands their immediate departure.”

He told protesters that the call for MONUSCO’s expulsion “is being examined,” but also reminded them of the impact of the withdrawal of UN forces from other parts of the country, such as the central Kasai region.

According to LUCHA, more than 1,300 civilians and dozens of Congolese soldiers and UN peacekeepers have been killed in just over a year in the troubled Beni region.

MONUSCO, a force of some 16,000 personnel, is one of the most expensive UN peacekeeping missions.

Last December, the UN Security Council extended the mission’s mandate for one year and also approved a gradual exit strategy.

The DRC has been plagued by violence for years as several rebel groups fight with each other or against the country’s military and UN forces for territorial control.

According to the UN, illicit exploitation of natural resources continues to be a root cause and driver of conflict, with most armed groups having set aside their political demands and being involved in mineral trafficking.

* Rodrigue Forku contributed to this story.