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Hundreds of protesters attacked several foreign embassies and a United Nations building in the Democratic Republic of Congo\u2019s capital, Kinshasa, on Tuesday as a rebel offensive backed by neighboring Rwanda in the country\u2019s east threatened to spiral into a regional crisis, The New York Times reported.<\/p>\n
Anger at Congo\u2019s foreign allies has been rising in the country this week over what is seen as their inability to stop an\u00a0assault on the key eastern city of Goma\u00a0on Monday by the March 23 Movement, or M23, a Congolese militia that the United Nations and United States say is supported and directed by Rwanda.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, protesters burned tires and threw stones in front of the U.S. Embassy\u2019s main compound, according to local news reports, and breached the site of a new\u00a0embassy building that is under construction, according to an American official in Kinshasa who spoke on the condition of anonymity to preserve staff safety. The site was later secured and no one was injured, the official said.<\/p>\n
Protesters attacked the French Embassy in the city, causing a fire,\u00a0according to Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot, France\u2019s foreign minister, who denounced the violence as \u201cunacceptable,\u201d although he said the blaze had been brought under control.<\/p>\n
The US, France and other allies have been blamed for allowing neighboring Rwanda to fuel a conflict in the east of Congo<\/strong><\/cite>Videos distributed by the Reuters news agency showed protesters breaking into the French Embassy and leaving the building with looted furniture. \u201cMacron kills in Congo,\u201d read a message left on an embassy wall, referring to President Emmanuel Macron of France. \u201cYou have long betrayed us.\u201d<\/p>\n Protesters also looted and set fire to the Ugandan Embassy, according to video verified by The New York Times. And they attacked the Belgian Embassy and the office of the U.N. humanitarian agency in Congo, according to a United Nations official, who referred to the situation as \u201ctotal chaos.\u201d<\/p>\n A small fire was also set in front of the Rwandan Embassy.<\/p>\n The M23 rebels have been fighting against Congolese armed forces and allied armed groups for territorial control in the mineral-rich eastern regions of Congo. Their latest offensive has\u00a0displaced over 500,000 people\u00a0since the beginning of the year, according to the United Nations\u2019 refugee agency.<\/p>\n As the angry protests erupted in Kinshasa, gunshots rang out across Goma 1,000 miles to the east, an area that was once a refuge for people fleeing M23\u2019s advance and violence from other armed groups. Many are now fleeing again amid the M23 rebels\u2019 fight to completely capture the city.<\/p>\n Rwanda denies supporting M23. Instead, it has accused Congo of failing to maintain peace in its eastern regions and threatening Rwanda\u2019s own security by amassing troops near their border. \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
In a call on Monday with Congo\u2019s president, F\u00e9lix Tshisekedi, Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the M23 assault on Goma and affirmed the United States\u2019 respect for Congo\u2019s sovereignty, according to Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokeswoman.<\/p>\n