In the latest bloodshed in the conflict-torn region, at least ten people were killed Wednesday in eastern DR Congo as the military attempted to halt a religious sect's planned anti-UN protest.

The "Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith towards the Nations" Christian-animist group advised adherents to enter United Nations bases and demand the evacuation of peacekeepers.

PHOTO | COURTESY Congo protests


The rally was prohibited by local authorities in the eastern Congolese city of Goma.

Leaders of the group told AFP on Tuesday that they had identified and were ready to pillage the residences of UN personnel in the city.

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Before the demonstration could begin, the Congolese military stormed a radio station and house of worship in Goma, murdering six individuals, according to Moleka Maregane, the sect's security chief.


PHOTO | COURTESY Congo protests

According to local reports, a police officer was also lynched during the mayhem.Hospital staff say that 33 people were hurt, three of whom died due to their injuries.

For three decades, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's east has been destroyed by militia violence, remnants of regional battles that erupted in the 1990s and 2000s.

With an annual budget of around $1 billion (915,000,000 euros), the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the region is one of the largest and most expensive in the world.

However, the UN is facing harsh criticism in the central African country, where many believe peacekeepers are failing to avert conflict.

PHOTO | COURTESY Congo protests


The current violence comes after dozens of people, including four peacekeepers, were killed in anti-UN protests across eastern DRC last year.

After years of deliberation, the UN peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, known as MONUSCO, is poised to leave the country.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi warned French media last year that MONUSCO has no reason to exist beyond the December 2023 presidential election.

In August, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the peacekeeping deployment had concluded.

PHOTO | COURTESY DRC residents fleeing

Although UN officials acknowledge widespread dissatisfaction, they contend that MONUSCO is prone to misinformation peddled by some local players.

The force currently has approximately 16,000 uniformed personnel deployed primarily in the mineral-rich east.