Three civilians were killed and a dozen others injured following an incident in eastern DR Congo where demonstrators set on fire a convoy of the UN mission, MONUSCO, on Tuesday, February 7.

Four peacekeepers’ trucks were violently attacked on Tuesday evening while on their way from a locality called Munigi in North Kivu province to Goma city, the UN mission said. As noted, rioters also stole cargo.

According to reports, the UN convoy was returning from a resupply mission north of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, when assailants set four trucks on fire.

Other reports indicate that after vehicles were set on fire, a crowd tried to break into a container containing weapons and the peacekeepers opened fire, killing five people.

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The incident followed protests in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, on Monday and Tuesday, against the East African regional force. The regional force was deployed in November 2022 to support the regional efforts to restore peace in eastern DR Congo.

Protestors are demanding that the regional force attacks the M23 rebels or leaves the country.

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The protestors also blocked roads in Goma and vandalised shops and churches belonging to members of the Congolese Tutsi community which has been, for long, victims of endless hate speech and ethnic violence.

The protests followed the EAC Summit of Heads of State in Bujumbura, which supported dialogue and the political processes.