At least 36 Burundian refugees have been killed in clashes with Congolese security forces who allegedly fired indiscriminately at protesters, the United Nations envoy to Congo has said.
Maman Sidikou said he was "deeply shocked" at the violence. Another 117 people were wounded and one Congolese officer was killed, he said in a statement.
Thirty-nine gravely wounded Burundian refugees were evacuated by helicopter to the city of Bukavu, the UN peacekeeping mission in Congo said.
Friday's clashes erupted in Kamanyola in Congo's South Kivu province when Burundian refugees and asylum seekers protested the expulsion of four of their countrymen from Congo, Sidikou said, citing "credible reports" received by the peacekeeping mission.
The death of the Congolese army officer led to "the escalation of violence."
The UN envoy called for a swift investigation and urged Congo's security forces to use force as a last resort.
Congo's military could not immediately be reached for comment.
Roughly 44,000 refugees from Burundi are sheltering in Congo. Many fled political violence at home in 2015, when President Pierre Nkurunziza successfully pursued a disputed third term amid deadly protests.
Of the people killed in Friday's clashes, 15 were women, the commander of the Pakistani battalion of the UN peacekeeping mission, Waquara Yunusi, told The Associated Press.
