UN Peacekeepers Kill Two Civilians in Eastern DR Congo, Triggering Outrage and Investigation

The United Nations has launched an investigation after peacekeepers opened fire at a border post in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), killing two civilians and injuring more than a dozen others.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said he was “outraged” by the incident, which occurred Sunday at Kasindi, a town on the border with Uganda in North Kivu province. He demanded full accountability and supported the detention of the peacekeepers involved.

“The Secretary-General stresses in the strongest terms the need to establish accountability for these events,” said UN deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq, confirming that the soldiers have been detained pending investigation.

A video circulating on social media shows uniformed men — one appearing to be a Congolese police officer, another a soldier — approaching a UN convoy halted behind a closed gate. After a brief verbal exchange, members of the UN contingent are seen firing shots, opening the gate, and forcing their way through.

According to MONUSCO, the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, the soldiers involved were returning from leave as part of its Intervention Brigade when they opened fire “for unexplained reasons.” The incident left two people dead and at least 14 injured, local civil society leader Joel Kitausa told AFP.

The head of MONUSCO, Bintou Keita, said she was “deeply shocked and dismayed” by what she described as “unspeakable and irresponsible behavior.” The mission confirmed that the peacekeepers had been identified and arrested while an internal and Congolese-led investigation is underway.

“Contacts have also been established with the soldiers’ country of origin to initiate judicial proceedings with the participation of victims and witnesses,” MONUSCO said, without disclosing their nationality.

The Congolese government strongly condemned the shooting. Government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said authorities, in coordination with MONUSCO, had opened a joint investigation “to establish responsibility, determine the motives behind this crime, and ensure severe sanctions.”

Kinshasa has called on citizens to remain calm, stressing that the implicated soldiers will be removed from MONUSCO’s ranks pending further action.

The tragedy comes amid heightened anti-UN sentiment in eastern Congo, where deadly protests erupted last week in Goma, Butembo, Beni, and other cities. Demonstrators accused MONUSCO of failing to protect civilians from the more than 100 armed groups that have terrorized the region for nearly three decades. Nineteen people — including three peacekeepers — were killed during the unrest.

MONUSCO, one of the world’s largest and most expensive UN missions, has been deployed in the DRC since 1999. It currently fields over 14,000 peacekeepers with an annual budget exceeding $1 billion.

During a visit to the DRC just a day before the shooting, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of the UN Department of Peace Operations, said he was working with Congolese authorities to prevent further violence and plan for MONUSCO’s gradual withdrawal.

“We hope conditions will soon allow the full return of state authority so that MONUSCO can complete its mission and transition to new forms of international support,” Lacroix said.