Military Officers Arrested in Congo for Deadly Protest Crackdown

Two high-ranking military officers in northeast Congo have been arrested for their involvement in a crackdown on protests that resulted in the deaths of 43 people and severe injuries to 56 others. The officers, who headed the Republican Guard unit and the Congolese armed forces regiment in Goma, were taken into custody as part of an ongoing inquiry to establish responsibility for the violence. The protests were organized by a sect called Wazalendo, aiming to demonstrate against the regional East African Community organization and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Congo. The UN mission has faced increased pressure to withdraw from the country after more than two decades.