Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets and scores attacked several foreign embassies, including those of Rwanda, France and Belgium, on Tuesday to protest the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels into a major city in the country's conflict-battered east.
Reports on social media said that close to 20 United Nations Peacekeeper troops had been killed by M23 rebels.
Police fired teargas at the protesters as they marched to the embassies in Kinshasa, either looting or setting fires to parts of the buildings. The embassies of Kenya and Uganda were also attacked, according to Associated Press journalists at the scene.
The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the conflict, one of Africa's largest.
Congo's security forces were fighting on Tuesday against Rwanda-backed rebels who advanced into a key eastern city in a major escalation of a decadeslong conflict.
Residents reported gunfire overnight in Goma, a city of 2 million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday. Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.
Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub holding hundreds of thousands of the more than 6 million people displaced by eastern Congo's prolonged conflict over ethnic tensions that have resulted in one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region in the conflict, one of Africa's largest.
The rebels temporarily took over Goma in 2012 before being forced to pull out under international pressure, and resurfaced in late 2021 with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo's government and United Nations experts. Rwanda has denied such support.
The humanitarian situation in Goma “is extremely, extremely worrying, with a new threshold of violence and suffering reached today”, Bruno Lemarquis, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Congo, told reporters in a video news conference on Monday. He said hundreds of thousands of people were attempting to flee the violence.
Combat zones all across the nation as rebels continue takeover
There were active combat zones in all areas of the city, with civilians taking cover and heavy artillery fire directed at the city centre on Monday, Lemarquis said. He said several shells struck the Charité Maternelle Hospital in central Goma, “killing and injuring civilians, including newborns and pregnant women”.
Aid groups are reporting they are unable to reach displaced people who rely on them for food and other necessities.
In addition to the UN, several countries including the United States, United Kingdom and France have condemned Rwanda for the rebel advance. The country, however, blames Congo for the escalation, saying it failed to honour past peace agreements, necessitating Rwanda's "sustained defensive posture”.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the advance by the Rwanda-backed rebels in a call with Congo President Félix Tshisekedi on Monday during which both leaders agreed on the importance of advancing efforts to restart peace talks between Congo and Rwanda “as soon as possible,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement.
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