At least five people were killed and about 50 injured on the second day of demonstrations in the eastern Congo city of Goma against a UN mission in the country, AP reported, citing government spokesman Patrick Muyaya.

On Monday, demonstrators set fires and stormed the offices of the UN mission in Goma, blaming peacekeeping forces for failing to protect civilians amid rising violence in the eastern region of the Congo. They are demanding that the UN forces that have been present in the Congo for years leave.

The protesters blamed the deaths on the peacekeepers who opened fire.

A government spokesman did not say what caused the deaths, but described the reaction of security forces and peacekeepers as warning shots to disperse the demonstrators and prevent any attack on the base and facilities

In June 2021 and June 2022, the peacekeeping mission, known by the French acronym MONUSCO, closed its offices in the central Congo regions of Kasai and Tanganyika. The mission has more than 16,000 troops in the Congo, according to the UN.

The protests come amid escalating fighting between Congolese troops and M23 rebels, which has forced nearly 200,000 people to flee their homes. M23 forces have shown increased firepower and defensive capability, according to a Human Rights Watch report.

East Congo is home to many rebel groups, and security in the region has deteriorated despite a year of emergency operations by the joint forces of the Congo and Uganda armies. Civilians in the east of the country also have to deal with violence from jihadist insurgents linked to the Islamic State group.