KINSHASA (Dispatches) - The Democratic Republic of the Congo on Wednesday asked the spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping mission, MONUSCO, to leave the country, blaming him for fueling tensions that led to deadly protests this week.
Thirty-six people, including four UN peacekeepers, were killed last week when hundreds of protesters vandalized and set fire to mission buildings in several cities in the region, east of the country.
Civilians accuse the mission, which has been in operation for more than 10 years, of failing to protect them from the armed gang violence that has long plagued the area.
The government says the spokesperson, Mathias Gillmann, made “lack of transparency and inappropriate” statements, which contributed to tensions between the people and MONUSCO.
“The Congolese government considers that the official’s presence on national territory is unlikely to foster an atmosphere of mutual trust and calm between the Congolese and MONUSCO organizations,” the statement said.
Gillmann and deputy spokesman for MONUSCO did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Congolese government also said this week that it would reevaluate the mission’s withdrawal plan following the protests, a decision MONUSCO said it supported.
Foreign Minister Christophe Lutundula said the mission would withdraw by 2024 according to a plan outlined last year but the government aims to hasten its departure.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and apologized for Sunday’s incident, where UN peacekeepers opened fire and killed two residents in a border town.
In a phone conversation, Guterres conveyed his condolences and apologized for the incident, said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres.
The secretary-general said the United Nations is totally committed to peace and to coordinating and working with the Congolese armed forces, and that effective dialogue is needed to solve the situation and bring about stability in eastern DRC, according to the spokesman.