US Urges Congo To Protect UN Peacekeepers After Deadly Attacks

The United States has urged the Democratic Republic of Congo to protect UN peacekeepers after deadly anti-UN protests in the country's east killed 19 people.

The African news on Friday reports that 3 peacekeepers from India and Morocco, were killed on Tuesday in an attack on a base of the UN mission in DRC, known as MONUSCO.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said; "MONUSCO plays a critical role in fostering peace and security, protecting civilians and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

"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."

The UN Security Council condemned the attacks in DR Congo and warned that targeting peacekeepers may constitute a war crime.

MONUSCO is one of the world's biggest peacekeeping operations, but it has regularly come under criticism, as many accuse it of failing to do enough to end decades-long bloodshed.