'Thieves, Get Out!': US, French, Kenyan, Rwandan Embassies Looted, Torched amid Protests in Congo

🔥 Several embassies in Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), were damaged, looted, and even set on fire amid mass demonstrations against the perceived inaction of the international community in addressing the ongoing violence in the eastern part of the country, Xinhua reporters observed.

In Kinshasa, the city woke up in turmoil as civil society mobilized the local population to protest against the dire situation in Goma, the capital of North Kivu Province, and the inaction of the international community.

Protesters were seen on the city's main arteries, disrupting traffic, blocking commercial activities, burning tires, and chanting slogans in front of the embassies of the United States and other Western countries, as well as the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission.

Part of the exterior of the French embassy was set on fire by protesters, while the nearby Ugandan embassy was looted. Sounds of detonation were heard in the neighborhoods where the Rwandan embassy and the U.S. consular service are located, according to a Xinhua reporter.

Blaise Kilimbalimba, Kinshasa police commander, urged the demonstrators to remain calm and return home, warning that those sowing trouble would face serious consequences.

Hostilities resumed in Goma on Tuesday morning after a relatively calm night. March 23 Movement (M23) rebels have been attacking Goma since late Sunday.

Local sources told Xinhua that intense fighting has been going on since early Tuesday between the DRC army and the rebels near the airport, a strategic point once controlled by the M23.

🔥 Round-up of key developments as fighting rages in Goma

• Bodies are lying in the streets of Goma as the city is hit by heavy artillery fire
• Health workers are being shot at while hospitals are overwhelmed
• The rebels' claim that they seized the airport has been confirmed by diplomatic and security sources
• Water and electricity supplies remain cut in Goma
• An aid agency says that an Ebola research laboratory is at risk in Goma after losing power
• Protesters angered by the international community's failure to stop the rebel advance have attacked foreign embassies in the capital
• At least 17 foreign peacekeepers have now been killed, including 13 South Africans.