Citizens of the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken to the streets in protest against the ongoing offensive by the M23 rebel group in the country’s eastern region.
- Angry protesters targeted foreign embassies in Kinshasa, looting and setting some on fire
- The embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and the United States were among those targeted
- The protests have sparked international condemnation from the African Union, United Nations, United States, and China.
Protesters in Congo have condemned the “inaction” of the international community regarding the escalating conflict in Goma, a key city in North Kivu province.
Congolese security forces have struggled to contain the advance of the M23 rebels, who claim to have captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo.
Al Jazeera reports that angry protesters took to the streets in Kinshasa, responding to calls organized by a youth collective to “Paralyze the City“.
In response, angry demonstrators targeted several foreign embassies in the capital, Kinshasa, looting, vandalizing, and setting some embassies on fire.
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The embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and the United States were among those targeted, with smoke rising from the French embassy following a fire.
The French embassy’s perimeter wall was set ablaze, with graffiti reading: “Betrayal over a long period of time … let’s end it now.”
Protesters also attacked the Belgian and U.S. embassies, while looting the Ugandan mission and transporting furniture away on motorcycles and taxis.
The protesters accused these countries of supporting Rwanda’s alleged ties to the M23 group, a claim Kigali denies.
The situation has sparked widespread violence, including looting, casualties, and overwhelmed hospitals treating injured civilians.
Rwanda, M23 deny links
Rwanda’s deputy government spokesman, Alain Mukuralinda, has dismissed allegations by the Democratic Republic of Congo’s military that Rwanda supports the revived M23 rebel movement in eastern Congo, calling them baseless.
This stance is echoed by Willy Ngoma, spokesman for the M23, who asserts that the movement is purely Congolese and receives no assistance from neighboring countries.
Manzi Ngarambe, representing the M23 diaspora, also denies any connection with the Rwandan government.
However, analysts paint a different picture, estimating that up to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers are actively supporting M23 operations in eastern Congo.
This discrepancy raises questions about the true nature of Rwanda’s involvement with the M23 rebel movement.
International community issues caution
The crisis has sparked widespread international condemnation, with the African Union, the United Nations, the United States, and China all calling for an end to the turmoil in the region.
The African Union urged the M23 rebels to “lay down arms,” but refrained from directly naming Rwanda.
The African Union Peace and Security Council also called for the immediate withdrawal and disarmament of all rebel groups in the region.
In a call with President Kagame on Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for an immediate ceasefire and urged all parties to respect the region’s sovereign territorial integrity. Meanwhile, China’s UN ambassador, Fu Cong, also called on Rwanda to “stop military support” for the M23 rebels.
The United Nations has voiced serious concerns about the escalating conflict, reporting ongoing gunfire and explosions throughout Goma.
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During a UN Security Council meeting on Tuesday, peacekeepers warned that the ongoing fighting threatened to reignite ethnic tensions harking back to the Rwandan genocide.
“In the past four days, the Human Rights Office has documented at least one case of ethnically motivated lynching in a displaced persons site in Goma,” said Vivian van de Perre of the UN’s DRC mission Monusco.
“The humanitarian situation in and around Goma remains extremely worrying, and this morning (there were) heavy small arms fire and mortar fire across the city and the presence of many dead bodies in the streets,” U.N. humanitarian affairs spokesperson Jens Laerke stated
