Congo’s Goma largely in rebel hands as protesters attack EU embassies

Goma, Congo, Jan 28, (dpa/GNA) – Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo, control large parts of the eastern city of Goma, a Congolese official said on Tuesday, as hundreds of thousands of people fled and protesters attacked EU and African embassies.

The rebel militia M23, backed by Rwanda according to analysts, entered the provincial capital on Monday, and have now made significant gains amid heavy fighting.

They occupy all strategic points in the city, including part of the airport, Minister for Rural Development and Member of Parliament for Goma Muhindo, Nzangi Butondo, told radio station Top Congo.

M23 rebels were present in large numbers on Goma’s streets, whereas soldiers were no longer visible, a journalist from dpa on site reported, adding that the clashes between the Congolese army and the militia have come to a halt.

M23 spokesman Willy Ngoma, said the city was completely in the hands of the rebel group, but this could not be independently verified.

Goma is located in one of Congo’s most resource-rich areas, and borders Rwanda.

In addition to the residents of Goma, more than 300,000 people from nearby camps for the displaced are also fleeing, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Geneva.

Workers reported seeing bodies in the streets. The hospitals are said to be completely overcrowded with the wounded, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). They had been able to fly in medical supplies, shortly before the airport in Goma was closed, the WHO said.

There are reports of numerous rapes. The internet is no longer functioning, and power and water supplies are limited, OCHA stated.

Warehouses of the World Food Programme (WFP) were looted. “This shows how desperate the people are,” said Shelley Thakral, WFP’s spokeswoman in the Congolese capital Kinshasa.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) appealed to donor countries to provide funds for aid.

The UN organizations are waiting for the situation to calm down, in order to resupply people.

“This is not just a regional matter, but a global responsibility,” said UNHCR spokesman Matthew Saltmarsh.

In the province of North Kivu, which is rich in coltan, gold and cassiterite, M23 has been fighting against Congolese government troops and allied militias for years.

In recent weeks, M23 has achieved significant territorial gains.

Both the Congolese government and UN experts accuse neighbouring Rwanda of supporting M23, and having its own troops in eastern Congo.

Protesters upset at the lack of international help, attacked the French, Belgian and Dutch embassies and four African embassies in the Kinshasa, according to officials.

The office of Germany’s Konrad Adenauer Foundation, located in the same building as the Rwandan embassy, was also damaged.

A fire at the French embassy is now under control, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on X.

“These attacks are unacceptable. Everything is being done to ensure the safety of our staff and citizens,” Barrot posted.

The Foreign Ministry in Brussels said “a gate was set on fire, but the fire was quickly brought under control.” At no point was there an immediate danger to embassy staff and visitors in Kinshasa, it said.

The situation stabilized at the Dutch embassy, which shares a building with the Belgians, and local security forces are protecting it, a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in The Hague said.

Belgium was a colonial power in Congo under Leopold II, governing with the most brutal methods. The country remained part of the Belgian colonial empire until the mid-1960s.

The European Union has condemned the attack on its embassies, and is calling for the protection of diplomatic missions in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, a spokesman for the EU’s foreign affairs representative Kaja Kallas said in Brussels.

The spokesman noted that foreign ministers of EU states, had already expressed their willingness during a meeting on Monday, to take action against those endangering peace and stability in Congo.

Demonstrators also attacked African embassies, according to the Kenyan government and Congolese police. The Kenyan, South African and Ugandan embassies in Kinshasa were targeted, Kenyan Foreign Secretary Korir Sing’Oei said. Embassy staff were also assaulted, he added.

Congolese police officer Felix Mwisa told dpa that the Rwandan embassy had also been attacked and looted.

This is not the first time Congolese have attacked embassies.

Similar violent protests took place in February and August last year.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, has said Rwandan President Paul Kagame, has agreed to the need for ceasefire negotiations.

Kenyan President William Ruto, currently the chair of the East African Community (EAC), plans to hold a special summit.

GNA