Power line kills 4 at anti-UN protest in eastern Congo

By JEAN-YVES KAMALE
Associated Press

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Officials say four people demonstrating against the United Nations peacekeeping mission in eastern Congo were killed when a high-voltage power line fell on them. A civil society coordinator in Uvira says the demonstrators were electrocuted on Wednesday when an electric cable gave way. The deputy mayor of Uvira says he thinks the death toll could have been higher if police and security forces hadn’t already dispersed the crowd. A Congolese government spokesperson says at least 15 people, including three U.N. personnel, have died during three days of demonstrations by protesters who accuse the peacekeepers of failing to protect civilians amid rising violence. The U.N. says it has more than 16,000 uniformed personnel in Congo.