At least 15 people, including three UN peacekeepers, have been killed and dozens of others injured in clashes during anti-UN protests in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) on Tuesday, officials said.
The UN confirmed that "violent attackers snatched weapons from Congolese police" and fired on the UN personnel killing one peacekeeper and two international policemen, and injuring another serving with the UN peacekeeping force at the UN base in Butembo in North Kivu province in the east.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the violence saying "any attack directed against United Nations peacekeepers may constitute a war crime," a UN spokesperson said. Guterres called upon the Congolese authorities to bring those responsible to justice, and added that the UN would work with Congolese authorities to investigate the deaths of demonstrators.
India's foreign minister confirmed that two of its UN peacekeepers were killed. The third one was from Morocco, Butembo police chief Paul Ngoma said.
At least five people other were killed during similar protests, which also left dozens injured in the southeastern city of Goma, a government spokesman confirmed earlier on Tuesday.
Demonstrators took to the street on Monday, angry with the UN soldiers for failing to deal with the region's many armed groups.
In a tweet, government spokesman Patrick Muyaya said security forces had responded by firing "warning shots" at protesters.
In a subsequent tweet, Muyaya confirmed the deaths.
A Reuters report said its reporter saw U.N. peacekeepers shoot dead two protesters in Goma.
What happened during the protests?
During the protests Monday, hundreds blocked roads and chanted slogans against the UN before the peacekeeping mission's headquarters and logistical base was stormed and looted.
Helicopters, meanwhile, airlifted UN staff from the premises while security forces worked to push demonstrators back, firing tear gas.
The protests in Goma continued into Tuesday, with one man shot in front of an AFP correspondent near the logistical base.
Reuters news agency reported witnesses saying peacekeepers used live rounds to quell the demonstrations on Tuesday.
One eyewitness said two were killed and two more injured. The same witness told Reuters the shots were not fired by the army or the police.
Why is the UN in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
The UN mission, known as MONUSCO, is among the largest peacekeeping missions in the world. It has routinely come under criticism however for failing to stop the bloodshed in the region's now decades-old conflict.
More than 120 armed groups operate in the region, including the so-called Islamic State and the M23 rebel movement. Massacres of civilians are common and the number of displaced by the conflict is in the millions.
The UN first sent an observer mission to the region in 1999 which became the MONUSCO mission in 2010. Its strength has grown to some 16,300 uniformed personnel.
The protests came after the president of the senate, Modeste Bahati, called on the UN mission to "pack its bags."
They also coincide with the return of the M23 rebel militia last November after being dormant for years. The group has made significant gains including capturing a town on the border with Uganda.
