Congo residents burn town hall after latest rebel attack

Angry residents of the eastern Congo city of Beni burned the town hall and stormed the United Nations peacekeeping mission Monday after rebels killed eight people and kidnapped nine overnight in their latest assault.

Gunfire could be heard as police and peacekeepers tried to disperse crowds who attacked the U.N. base and burned U.N. vehicles. Residents have protested outside the U.N. for several days over repeated attacks by Allied Democratic Forces rebels, and two civilians and two police officers have died in the unrest, The Associated Press (AP) reported.

Civil society leader Kizito Bin Hangi said they warned the Congolese army when they saw suspicious activity in the center of town Sunday but soldiers came too late.


The UN peacekeeping mission said it could not carry out operations unilaterally in a region where Congo’s military is already active, and that it cannot participate in Congolese military operations without being invited.

Hours later, Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi after an emergency meeting decided to allow joint operations between Congolese and UN forces in Beni and install a headquarters for Congolese troops there, his office said.