Protesters attack embassies in Congo’s capital as security forces slow rebels

Security forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo tried to slow the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who say they have captured Goma after entering eastern Congo’s largest city, as UN officials reported an unspecified number of bodies on the streets.

The officials said hospitals are overwhelmed in Goma, a regional trade and humanitarian hub that is a refuge for hundreds of thousands now fleeing gunfire and shelling in the major escalation in one of Africa’s longest conflicts driven by ethnic tensions.

Dozens of demonstrators, meanwhile, looted and set fires to parts of at least nine foreign embassy buildings far off in the capital, Kinshasa, including those of Rwanda, France, Belgium, Kenya and Uganda.

The protesters demanded that the international community condemn Rwanda over its role in the conflict.

“We denounce the hypocrisy of the international community,” said Timothee Tshishimbi, one of the protesters. “They must tell Rwanda to stop this adventure.”

The attacks were condemned by the respective countries as well as the Congolese government, which said it has reinforced security at the embassies.

Many continued to flee across the border into Rwanda, braving gunfire and heavy rains earlier and caught in between shootouts on both sides from the Congolese soldiers and the rebels.

“What we want is this war to come to an end,” said Christian Bahati, a Congolese teacher among hundreds now sheltering in the Rwandan town of Gisenyi. “You can see the level of frustration. Congolese people are victims, but now they find themselves seeking refuge from the aggressor.”

“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,” said Mr Laerke, adding that hospitals are “struggling to manage the influx of wounded people”.

Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said at least five people in Rwanda have been killed and 35 others wounded in shelling from Congo. He also told The Associated Press that while the country has “behaved well” since the rebels entered Goma, “we have been shelled by the military coalition” of the Congolese army and its allies.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi “will have to accept talks with M23 to end the situation once and for all,” Mr Nduhungirehe added.

The country’s goal in Congo is to protect its borders against attacks, Rwandan army spokesperson Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanga told the AP, adding that appropriate measures would be “all-encompassing”, including the use of water, air and land defence.

They resurfaced in late 2021 with increasing support from Rwanda, according to Congo’s government and UN experts. Rwanda has denied such support although UN experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

“Since morning, we have heard bomb explosions and crackling bullets,” Sam Luwawa, a resident of Goma, said of the fighting in the city. “So far we cannot say who really controls the city.”

Three South African peacekeepers were killed on Monday when the rebels launched a mortar shell toward the Goma airport, which landed on the nearby South African National Defence Force, while a fourth soldier succumbed to injuries sustained in fighting days ago, the South African Department of Defence said Tuesday.

That makes 17 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers who have been killed in the fighting, according to UN and army officials.

Uruguay’s army, which is among the foreign militaries in Congo, said on Monday that there was a ceasefire agreement in the city.

On Tuesday, “pockets of resistance” resulted in a crossfire between the rebels and Congolese forces at Goma’s airport, it said, wounding two Uruguayan soldiers at the base of a Uruguayan battalion nearby.

Congolese Minister of Rural Development Muhindo Nzangi told the Top Congo local radio station that the rebels are in control of strategic towns like Sake and Kibumba as well as a part of the Goma airport, but added: “It must be said that so far our military continues to fight.”