The UN is under attack in eastern Congo. But DRC elites are also to blame for the violence

Congolese in Goma protest against the country's UN peacekeeping mission on 26 July 2022. Michel Lunanga/AFP via Getty Images

Demonstrators in the volatile eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have called for the immediate withdrawal of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Recent protests in Butembo-Beni, Goma, Bukavu and Uvira turned into deadly attacks against the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO).

By 26 July 2022, at least 15 people had died, including UN peacekeepers, as demonstrators stormed and burnt the mission’s bases in Goma, Butembo and Uvira. They accused the 22-year-old mission of failing to stop decades of fighting in the country.