In Kinshasa, authorities heightened security measures outside embassies and UN buildings on Monday following protests accusing Western nations of backing M23 rebels in the conflict-ridden east of DR Congo.
Demonstrators targeted embassy and United Nations vehicles on Saturday, prompting the head of the UN’s MONUSCO peacekeeping mission, Bintou Keita, to report on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, that several UN vehicles were set ablaze.
Protests erupted last week in Kinshasa and the southeastern city of Lubumbashi. On Friday, groups of youths protested outside the embassies of France and Britain, while earlier in the week, demonstrations were held in front of the US embassy.
In response, the government announced increased security measures at various embassies and MONUSCO premises after an urgent meeting on Sunday. It also stated that an investigation had been launched, condemning the “completely unjustified acts of violence.”
On Monday morning, AFP journalists observed heightened police presence at multiple locations in Kinshasa. Groups of youths gathered for further demonstrations, setting fire to tires on the streets.
As a precautionary measure, foreign schools and some shops in central Kinshasa remained closed on Monday morning.
One protester near the US embassy, named Gedeon, expressed his sentiments to AFP, blaming Westerners for violence in the DRC and calling for their departure. He carried a placard denouncing Rwandan President Paul Kagame as a friend to Westerners who allegedly perpetrate violence in eastern DRC.
Protesters also burned tires near MONUSCO headquarters before being dispersed by security forces.
The M23 rebels have seized significant portions of North Kivu since their resurgence in late 2021, exacerbating the longstanding violence in the region stemming from conflicts in the 1990s.
While the DRC, the United Nations, and Western nations accuse Rwanda of supporting the rebels, Rwanda denies these allegations. Recent clashes near the city of Goma in North Kivu have prompted thousands of people to flee the area.
