KINSHASA (Reuters) – Seven
United Nations peacekeepers in Congo were wounded when gunmen opened fire at a protest in the East of
the country on Monday, drawing condemnation from the U.N. Security Council.
farewell ceremony in Kisangani, northern Democratic Republic of Congo, June 16, 2010. REUTERS/Katrina
Manson
There were no details on the condition of the
peacekeepers, who the U.N. Security Council said were from Pakistan.
Several more peacekeepers
in the contingent were injured by stone throwers when a base in South Kivu province was surrounded by
crowd of 1,000 people, the United Nations said.
“The seven wounded peacekeepers have been taken
to Goma, North Kivu, for medical treatment,” U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman, Martin
Nesirky, said in a statement.
The U.N. Security Council strongly condemned the attack in a
statement later on Monday, saying that at least 11 peacekeepers were injured during the
incident.
The 15-member council “reiterated their serious concern about the deteriorating
security and humanitarian situation in the Kivus and the impact on the Congolese
population.”
“They encouraged the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to ensure
that the perpetrators of the attacks are brought to justice swiftly,” the statement said.
The
United Nations said the protest was against attacks by Rwandan Hutu rebel FDLR forces in the area, and
it suspected that local Mai Mai militia shot at the blue helmets from within the crowd. Reinforcements
have been sent to the area, which is calm but tense, the U.N. added.
Congo’s last war
officially ended nearly a decade ago but its East is still plagued by a plethora of local and foreign
armed groups.
The U.N. mission in Congo is one of the world’s largest, but its men are
stretched thinly across the vast nation and the force is frequently accused of not doing enough to
protect civilians from gunmen.
