Brussels 28.01.2025 The European Union condemned the attacks on embassies in Kinshasa the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo. In response the German government had canceled planned consultations with Rwanda over alleged support for the M23 rebels, whose advance sparked the violence.

In Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of Congo capital, – the protesters attacked a number of embassies, being angered by the Western support to Rwanda, and the M23 rebels, who occupied Eastern city of Goma, in Northern Kivu province.

The DRC’s Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya urged restraint, emphasizing the right to protest but called for peaceful demonstrations without targeting consular infrastructure.

Crowds of demonstrators attacked the embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the United States, and the thick smoke could be seen rising from the French embassy building after a fire erupted. .

A spokesman for the EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said in Brussels that the bloc was calling for the protection of diplomatic missions in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot specifically condemned an attack on France’s embassy in the capital, Kinshasa, saying:

“These attacks are unacceptable. Everything is being done to ensure the safety of our personnel and our citizens.”

The Belgian, Dutch, Kenyan, Rwandan, Ugandan and US embassies have also been attacked by protesters as hundreds of thousands of people flee amid fighting in the eastern part of the country.

Police fired teargas as protesters marched to the embassies in Kinshasa, looting or setting fires to parts of diplomatic buildings.

Protesters gather as smoke billows from burning tires during a demonstration against the escalating conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo