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At least two people were killed and 15 others injured when soldiers from a UN intervention brigade in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) opened fire along a border post on Sunday, July 31, according to reports by the DRC government and the UN peacekeeping force.
The incident at the Congo-Uganda border post in Kasindi, in the country's restive east, is the latest involving a peacekeeping mission in the DRC known simply as MONUSCO, which has been targeted following days of protests. However, it is unclear why the soldiers opened fire.
In a statement, Bintou Keita, the UN Secretary-General's special representative in the DRC, said:
"This serious incident has caused loss of life and serious injuries."
According to Keita and the Congolese government, an investigation has begun, and the suspected perpetrators have been apprehended.
In her statement, Keita said:
"Faced with this unspeakable and irresponsible behaviour, the perpetrators of the shooting were identified and arrested pending the conclusions of the investigation which has already started in collaboration with the Congolese authorities.
Congo attack stirs up the United Nations
Meanwhile, Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations, expressed his "outrage" at the fatalities.
In a statement from Farhan Haq, the deputy spokesperson for the Secretary-General, Guterres "stresses in the strongest terms the need to establish accountability for these events" and offers support towards the detention of "military personnel involved in this incident and an immediate investigation."
In a video of the incident posted to social media, the alleged attackers are seen moving towards the convoy stopped on the other side of the closed fence in Kasindi, a town in Uganda. At least one of the men is dressed as a police officer, while the other is posing as a Congolese soldier.
The alleged peacekeepers are also seen engaging in verbal combat before firing rounds, opening the gate, and crossing the post.
A spokesman for the DRC government, Patrick Muyaya, later that day said that the DRC government "condemns and strongly deplores this unfortunate incident, the provisional toll of which is two compatriots dead and 15 others injured."
Investigations launched on the "peacekeepers" involved
The DRC government, in a statement, stated that two Congolese people were killed while 15 others were injured, following a preliminary inquiry.
Speaking about the situation, Muyaya said:
"The government, together with MONUSCO, have launched an investigation to know the reasons for such crime and obtain severe punishments."
Until there's a plan for the full force to leave the DRC, the peacekeepers involved in the event will no longer be a member of the MONUSCO contingent, Muyaya said.
In 2010, MONUSCO replaced an earlier UN operation. By November 2021, MONUSCO had more than 12,000 soldiers and 1,600 police officers on the ground. But this number was reducing as they were gradually getting pulled out of the location.
At least 20 people, including three peacekeepers, have died since the beginning of the protests. One of the primary reasons for these protests was that the MONUSCO mission was not really successful at protecting civilians against militia violence that is running rampant in the region.
