Death toll 36 as protesters turn on UN peacekeepers

Fears of a new wave of violence in the restive east of the country are growing after weeks of deadly protests against UN peacekeepers and rising regional tensions.

Thirty-six people, including four UN peacekeepers, have died in the unrest in the past two weeks as protesters vandalised and set fire to UN buildings in cities in eastern frontier provinces. Civilians in eastern DRC have accused Monusco, the UN’s peacekeeping force in the country, of failing to protect them from militia violence. The protesters called for the immediate withdrawal of the force.