The Communications Minister, Patrick Muyaya, urged protesters to cease their attacks, emphasizing the importance of peaceful demonstrations. He later assured the public that the situation had been brought under control.

Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) used tear gas to disperse protesters in the capital, Kinshasa, on Tuesday, following attacks on embassies triggered by the ongoing conflict in the country’s east.

The demonstrators targeted the embassies of nations they accuse of aiding Rwanda in supporting M23 rebels, who recently captured the eastern provincial capital, Goma. According to a European diplomat who spoke to Reuters, the embassies of France, the United States, Rwanda, Uganda, and Kenya were among those attacked by the protesters.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot shared a post on X, confirming that the French embassy in Kinshasa had been attacked and briefly caught fire. However, the blaze was swiftly brought under control.

“The people of Congo are tired. How many times should we die?” one protester told Reuters during the unrest.

Protests spread throughout Kinshasa, with demonstrators burning tires and clashing with the police, who responded by firing tear gas to disperse the crowds, according to a Reuters reporter on the ground.

This escalation follows the M23 rebels, allegedly backed by Rwanda, seizing the city of Goma in the east on Monday, marking a significant intensification of the three-decade-long conflict.

Witnesses reported that the Kenyan embassy was attacked, and soldiers stationed there did not intervene. Meanwhile, the Reuters reporter observed looting at the Ugandan embassy.

Congo’s Communications Minister Patrick Muyaya addressed the situation on national television, urging protesters to cease their violent actions. He acknowledged the people's right to express their anger but emphasized the need for peaceful demonstrations. "Let's not attack the consular infrastructures of countries accredited in Congo," he added, later reassuring the public that the situation was under control.