World News | The Congolese Military is Accused of a Deadly Crackdown on a Religious Sect, Killing at Least 43
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. More than 40 people died and dozens were injured in clashes in the Congolese city of Goma between protesters from a religious sect and the armed forces, national authorities said.
Dakar (Senegal), Sep 1 (AP) More than 40 people died and dozens were injured in clashes in the Congolese city of Goma between protesters from a religious sect and the armed forces, national authorities said.
Congo's communications ministry said the violence led to 43 deaths and 56 injuries, raising the preliminary death toll of seven announced by the army on Wednesday.
Dozens were being treated for severe injuries in nearby hospitals, and nearly 160 people were arrested during the unrest on Wednesday, the communications ministry said late on Thursday.
The protest was organized by a sect called the Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations and known colloquially as Wazalendo. Its supporters were demonstrating against the regional East African Community organization and the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, called MONUSCO, which is in the process of being drawn down by the end of the year.
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Goma's Mayor Faustin Napenda Kapend had banned the protest on Aug. 23 soon after it was announced. Congolese security and defense forces had amassed at major intersections in anticipation when violence broke out around 4 a.m. Wednesday.
Wednesday's events were “an apparent massacre” according to Human Rights Watch, an advocacy group. “Security forces used live ammunition seemingly to break up a gathering of people preparing to demonstrate in the streets of Goma,” said Thomas Fessy, a senior Congo researcher at Human Rights Watch.
“The unnecessary use of lethal force is callous as well as unlawful,” Fessy said, calling on authorities to carry out a thorough investigation into senior military officials who ordered the use of unlawful lethal force.
“I don't understand our government anymore. How can we understand that heavily armed soldiers come to kill unarmed civilians?” said demonstrator Alexis Chirimwani on Wednesday.
U.N. peacekeeping missions began operating in Congo in 1999. Three decades of conflict in the northeastern region have displaced over 6 million people, according to the U.N., with the crisis intensifying since 2021. Critics say the mission, which was the target of deadly protests in July 2022, has done little to help protect civilians from overlapping conflicts in eastern Congo.
“MONUSCO remains concerned by the threats of violence made prior to the demonstration and reiterates the importance of the peaceful resolution of disputes and concerns through inclusive dialogue,” the mission said in a statement Thursday. (AP)
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)