Protesters gathered outside of the U.N. headquarters

Protesters gathered outside of the U.N. Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) headquarters in Goma on 27 October 2008 to voice their anger over the government's inability to stop rebel activity in the region. Reports indicate that several thousand protesters threw rocks at the Goma office and damaged nearby vehicles and windows. There were no reports of injuries in the incident. The U.N. has approximately 17,000 peacekeepers in the country, and despite repeated attempts to disarm the rebels, violence has continued unabated. Meanwhile, civilians and government troops continue to flee North Kivu province after Laurent Nkunda's rebel National Congress for the Defense of the People seized a main army base at Rumangabo -- which is located approximately 25 mi/40 km north of Goma -- on 26 October. The rebels captured the base in a similar attack three weeks earlier. An undisclosed number of rebels, troops and civilians were killed in the attack. The rebels also took control of the Virunga National Park headquarters, forcing the park's 50 rangers to take refuge in the forest. At least 200,000 people have been forced to flee their homes after fighting broke out on 28 August, violating the January 2008 ceasefire.