DRC police disperse protest against slow M23 rebel pullback
Al JazeeraNov 26, 2022
The Facts
The United Nations said on Wednesday that at least 49 bodies, including those of six children, had been discovered in mass graves found in two villages of the Democratic Republic of Congo's restive Ituri province, near the border with Uganda.
The macabre discovery came as MONUSCO peacekeepers launched a patrol to the area, shortly after receiving reports that the Cooperative for the Development of Congo (CODECO) militias had carried out attacks on civilians over the weekend and abducted a number of women.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
This discovery shows once again the importance of the cooperation between UN peacekeepers and Congolese forces. Despite being under fire as violence persists, joint efforts are crucial to protect civilians in the country, as well as halting and mitigating the impact of attacks from the CODECO militia against internally displaced people.
Establishment-critical narrative
After more than two decades in the DRC, the UN mission in the region has prompted popular anger for its inability to tackle armed groups or bring peace to the country, particularly due to the resurgence of the M23 rebel group and the persistence of killings in Ituri. Deployment of 14K troops and spending of about $1.5B each year has resulted in failure.