In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), new demonstrations took place this Monday, February 12, in Kinshasa against Western diplomatic representations and MONUSCO. Protesters are expressing their frustration at what they perceive as international indifference towards eastern DRC where the army and M23 are fighting. The police used tear gas to stop and disperse these demonstrators.
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There were several dozen demonstrators gathering in front of MONUSCO headquarters. Some arrived on motorbikes, others on foot, brandishing the Congolese flag. However, they were unable to access the UN mission’s facilities due to the deployment of the police. To express their discontent, they gathered tires together, lit them on fire and arranged them in a circle, chanting in front of the police.
Bruno is furious: “ Let MONUSCO go, we don’t need it. We don’t need the French, the British or the Americans either. The war persists in the east of our country. Yet they came here to support us. Since the start of this war, we have seen nothing of their involvement. We want them to leave. »
Meanwhile, another group heads towards the French embassy. Timothy is also angry: “ For us, the Congolese people, it is a day of mourning. It is a popular uprising against all multinationals. We understood that the war is not against Rwanda, but against these Westerners who are fighting us to steal our wealth. We understood this. This is the reason for this popular uprising. »
The situation becomes tense. The police tried to prevent any excess and fired tear gas to restore order.
Tension and criticism
The tension was already palpable last week, with the multiplication of calls to demonstrate. Even some popular evangelical pastors have publicly incited people to gather in front of Western embassies, going so far as to call for their expulsion from the country.
These messages circulated widely on social networks and the police claim to have discovered anonymous leaflets in certain places in the city.
The rallies took a more aggressive turn, Saturday February 10, with acts of vandalism against vehicles belonging to certain embassies.
In the opposition, voices are being raised to criticize the effectiveness of these actions. Some opponents point the finger at the sovereign responsibilities of the Congolese authorities. For their part, certain Western diplomats express their perplexity as to the logic of these demonstrations, while condemnations against the M23 and its supporters in the Great Lakes region are increasing.
On Sunday, Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister for Foreign Affairs, called an urgent meeting with the head of MONUSCO and the ambassadors of the United States, the European Union and the United Kingdom to express the regrets of his government , following this violence and guaranteeing them security and protection.
In this same meeting, the head of Congolese diplomacy stressed the need for all “ to carry out a sincere diagnosis, in order to cure the evil coming from outside the Congolese territory. »
Read alsoNorth Kivu province in the DRC: fighting between the army and the M23 continues