Protesters Attack U.S., French Embassies in Kinshasa

Date: 29 January 2025 - 00:06

News ID: ۱۳۶۳۱۷

GOMA, DR Congo (AFP) --
Gunshots rang out on Tuesday through parts of the besieged DR Congo city of Goma, where Congolese soldiers have clashed with militia fighters backed by Rwandan troops, while furious protesters attacked embassies in the capital Kinshasa.
The main city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has become a battleground since fighters from the Tutsi-led M23 armed group and Rwandan forces entered central Goma on Sunday night after a weeks-long advance through the region.
The lightning offensive marks a major escalation in the vast central African country’s mineral-rich east, which has been plagued by fighting between armed groups backed by regional rivals since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
It has also triggered a spiraling humanitarian crisis, forcing half a million people from their homes since the start of the year, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.
In Kinshasa, protesters criticizing international inaction attacked the embassies of Rwanda, France, Belgium and the United States.
The U.S. embassy in Kinshasa has advised citizens to “shelter in place and avoid movements”.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the “unacceptable” attack, saying a fire in the French embassy building was now under control.
With tensions rising, the UN Security Council was scheduled to meet later on Tuesday.
In Goma, gunshots could still be heard on Tuesday although the intensity of the fighting appeared to have decreased.
The city of one million, which was already home to an estimated 700,000 internally displaced people, sits on the shores of Lake Kivu on the border with Rwanda.
Despite the sound of gunfire nearby, some residents ventured down to the lakeside, according to AFP correspondents.
Dozens of M23 fighters were seen marching through Goma’s main streets, some wearing bulletproof vests and carrying Congolese weapons.
Several residents said they had been robbed by Congolese soldiers or militia fighters.
“They stole everything from us, our phones, even our shoes. We saw them take off their clothes and throw away their weapons,” said Jospin Nyolemwaka, who fled his neighborhood.
“We’re starting to leave here, but there was looting yesterday. We saw bodies in the road,” a resident of Goma’s Kituku market area told AFP.
It was not clear which parts of Goma were under the control of Congolese forces or the Rwandan-backed M23, which claimed it had taken the city on Sunday night.
At least 17 people have been killed and 367 wounded during two days of fighting, according to reports from overwhelmed hospitals.