UN Mission In DRC Calls On Protesters To Return To Calm Following Attack On UN Office

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th November, 2019) The United Nations called on protesters in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) northeastern city of Beni to return to being calm, following an attack on the UN headquarters there, the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo said.

On Monday, protesters, angered by the fact that government and UN forces failed to prevent a rebel group from attacking and killing eight people on Sunday, stormed the UN facilities in Beni.

"#MONUSCO expresses concern about dissemination of wrong information and calls for violence on social media. It calls on all political, religious and media actors to support a return to calm, necessary to the fight against ADF [Allied Democratic Forces] and to the essential continuity of the Ebola response," the mission Tweeted.

It added that it would strengthen cooperation with it partners and work with DRC authorities to find solutions to the situation.

Following the attack, MONUSCO chief Leila Zerrougui participated in a National Security Council meeting at the invitation of DRC authorities and chaired by DRC President Felix Tshisekedi.

According to reports, in the protests that followed the attack, two more people were killed in clashes with police. Additionally, protesters have torched the mayor's office, a Tweet posted by the Beni police showed.

The DRC has long been fighting against the ADF, which was formed in western Uganda to oppose the Ugandan government and eventually expanded into the neighboring state. The group is considered to be a terrorist organization in Uganda and is believed to be responsible for frequent incidents of violence in both Uganda and the DRC.