The United States on Thursday urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect UN peacekeepers after deadly anti-UN protests in the country's volatile east claimed at least 19 lives.
Three peacekeepers, from India and Morocco, were killed Tuesday in an attack on a base of the UN mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO, which many local people resent as having failed to stop decades of armed conflict.
"MONUSCO plays a critical role in fostering peace and security, protecting civilians and facilitating delivery of humanitarian assistance," State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
"We call on the national and local authorities in the DRC to ensure the protection of MONUSCO sites and personnel and for protesters to express their sentiments peacefully," he said.
The United States -- the top funder of UN peacekeeping operations -- voiced appreciation for the Kinshasa government's deployment Wednesday of soldiers and police to boost security.
The UN Security Council, in a rare joint statement amid soaring tensions between the West and veto-wielding Russia, on Wednesday condemned the attacks in DR Congo "in the strongest terms" and warned thar targeting peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.
