A United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Congo have come under even more increasing scrutiny after the Congolese military opened fire on a protest over the U.N.’s lack of concrete protection for Congolese people against military violence. 

Six soldiers including two commanders were charged on September 5th, 2023, for their part in firing into and killing 56 people during a planned anti-U.N. demonstration in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The soldiers include a colonel and a lieutenant-colonel from the republican guard, Commanders Mike Mikombe and Donat Bawili, according to AP News. 

The military officers have been accused of “crimes against humanity by murder, malicious destruction and inciting soldiers to commit acts contrary to duty or discipline”, according to a statement by the military court in Goma.

The CBCA Ndosho hospital in Goma did not have enough beds for all the patients, over 90, most with chest and stomach wounds. 

According to Reuters, after the Congolese mayor of Goma Faustin Napenda Kapend banned a protest organized by the religious sect Natural Judaic and Messianic Faith Towards the Nations, known as Wazalendo, armed Congolese military forces fired on the demonstrators in the streets. Before the protest could take place, the military killed 43 civilians and seriously injured 56 in cold blood, said Human Rights watch. The death toll was later changed to 56. 

Wazalendo’s supporters planned to demonstrate against the United Nations peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo known as MONUSCO, which has been facing pressure to withdraw from the Congo after twenty years. Wazalendo also planned to protest the East African Community organization. MONUSCO has faced protests since last year brought on by complaints that it has failed to protect civilians from shootings by the military.

“Security forces used live ammunition seemingly to break up a gathering of people preparing to demonstrate in the streets of Goma,” said Thomas Fessy, a researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The unnecessary use of lethal force is callous as well as unlawful,” Fessy continued.

According to The Associated Press (AP News), UN human rights spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani said about the deadly protest attack that, “People have a right to express themselves freely and to assemble peacefully, even if in protest at the United Nations and other actors.”

After extrapolating on his deep concern, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi called on judges to bring to light information on the tragedy and establish who was responsible for the slaughter, according to the president’s spokesperson Tina Salama.

A government delegation traveled to Goma on September 4th, 2023 to hold hearings inquiring about the crackdown’s leadership, and police called on the victims’ families to help supply additional information for the inquiry.

The deadly force that Congolese security and military forces used against the planned anti-U.N. protests in the city were “an act of repression,” said the Congo’s interior minister.

Amnesty International’s Jean-Mobert Senga told Al Jazeera, “People have expectations that if their government is unable to protect them, at the least the UN will do it, but over the years, the UN was unable to prevent attacks or to respond to them adequately, so they [citizens] feel like they [the UN] are useless.” 

Protesters in Goma blocked roads from the morning through the afternoon, when police dispersed the protests without incident.

According to Reuters, U.N. peacekeeping missions like MONUSCO began in Congo twenty-four years ago. Conflict since the mid-90s in northeastern Congo displaced over 6 million people, according to the U.N., with the crisis intensifying since 2021. Both the sect and critics claim MONUSCO has’t significantly helped protect civilians from several conflicts in the Congo, including in protests in 2022. 

“The Wazalendo don’t have a problem with the authorities; they’re people who just want peace in their country,” said protester Nsimire Sifa on Wednesday, according to Reuters. 

It is clear from the recent Congolese protests that it is an uphill battle working to neutralize the DRC’s violence. Hopefully, MONUSCO will not withdraw from the DRC, but instead refortify its efforts to create peace within the region even through such atrocities targeted, ironically, at protesters and challengers to the U.N.’s involvement.