James Tasamba
29 January 2025•Update: 29 January 2025
KIGALI, Rwanda
Congolese authorities have banned protest demonstrations in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo's capital, following violent protests targeting several embassies, including those of France and the US.
Kinshasa Governor Daniel Bumba, in a live address to the nation late Tuesday night, said the decision was made in response to violent protests targeting several embassies.
Bumba said the ban would take effect on Wednesday and urged citizens to resume their normal activities and conduct business freely.
Following violent protests on Tuesday, the US closed its embassy in Kinshasa and urged Americans to leave Congo.
Separately, in a video posted on social media on Tuesday, Congo's Deputy Interior Minister Eugenie Kamba blamed Rwanda for the attacks on embassies in the capital city, which it rejected.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke over the phone with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, urging an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo, according to spokesperson Tammy Bruce.
Rubio stressed that the US is “deeply troubled by the escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly the fall of Goma to the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group.”
Rubio called for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo and for all parties to respect sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a post on X, Kagame described the discussions with Rubio to have been “productive on the need to ensure a ceasefire in Eastern DRC and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all.”
The M23 rebel group, allegedly backed by Rwanda, has intensified its offensive in eastern Congo, capturing key towns and advancing toward Goma, the capital of the North Kivu province.
Since last week, at least 42 people, including 17 foreign peacekeepers, have been killed in Goma, with hundreds injured in ongoing clashes between the Congolese army and rebel forces.
Rwanda claims that at least nine of its citizens were killed in an alleged cross-border exchange of gunfire from Goma.
Meanwhile, Congo's Foreign Minister Therese Kayikwamba Wagner told the UN Security Council on Tuesday that over 100 people have been sent to health centers in recent days, more than 500,000 displaced, and that the humanitarian situation has deteriorated further.
Amid disputed reports about who controls Goma city, a Congolese official told the Security Council that government forces, backed by UN and Southern Africa regional peacekeepers, "continue to fight bravely in Goma."
The M23 group claims that its fight is also driven by grievances about alleged discrimination against Tutsi communities in the region. They claim that the Congolese government has not addressed their concerns, particularly about their safety and integration into the national military.
The Congolese government, on the other hand, accuses the M23 of destabilizing the region with external support, primarily from neighboring Rwanda.
