Bodies in streets as battle escalates in DR Congo city

Kenya embassy staff in Kinshasa forced to flee

Two staff members at Kenya’s embassy in DR Congo’s capital, Kinshasa, had to escape and seek refuge elsewhere as protesters targeted the building earlier today, Kenya’s government has said.

Angry crowds complaining about the rebel assault on Goma also attacked the embassies of Rwanda, Uganda, France and Belgium.

In its statement, Kenya’s foreign ministry said it was deeply concerned by the attacks describing them as “unwarranted”.

It added that there had been looting, and destruction of property.

The statement alleged that while the attack on the embassy happened "in the full glare" of DR Congo's security officers, they “took no action to mitigate the situation”.

It described what happened as a violation of international law as host governments are required to protect embassies.

Congolese want West to stop 'donor darling' Rwanda

Furious Congolese demonstrators see Rwanda as the "donor darling" enriching itself and possibly "annexing" part of the country's mineral-wealthy east, says analyst Michaela Wrong.

Speaking to the BBC's World at One radio programme, she points out that Rwanda gets millions in aid from the West, and so Congolese citizens believe the West can stop the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels if it wants to.

Yet, there has been "no muscular response from the international community", prompting attacks by frustrated Congolese citizens on foreign embassies in Kinshasa on Tuesday.

Wrong and other analysts say current events are a chilling reminder of what happened back in the 1990s, when a rebel movement swept to power and installed Laurent-Désiré Kabila as president.

"The fear now is that we're seeing a repeat," she says.

Goma airport captured by rebels, sources tell Reuters

A few hours ago, we bought you news that the rebels claimed to have captured Goma's airport.

Diplomatic and security sources have now confirmed the takeover, Reuters news agency reports.

Round-up of key developments as DR Congo crisis escalates

If you're just joining us, here's a round-up of the latest developments in the Democratic Republic as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels are involved in a fierce battle with government forces and international peacekeepers for control of the eastern city of Goma.

• The UN says hundreds of people are wounded and that bodies are lying in the streets of Goma
• One fleeing resident tells the BBC that a bomb killed her neighbour and six children
• The rebels claim they have seized the airport in Goma, but there is no independent confirmation
• An aid agency says that an Ebola research laboratory is at risk in Goma after losing power
• South Africa has lost four more peacekeepers in the clashes
• Foreign embassies have been targeted by crowds in the capital, Kinshasa, with people angry that the international community has failed to stop the fighting
• The African Union's Peace and Security Council is currently meeting to discuss the crisis.

Video shows Ugandan embassy being ransacked

Earlier we reported that embassies in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, had been targeted by protesters outraged at the situation in Goma.

The BBC has now seen a video of the Ugandan embassy being ransacked.

In the footage, streams of people hurry away from the building carrying furniture such as office chairs. It is a chaotic scene - some people are running towards the embassy and there is a lot of shouting.

Black smoke rises from near the entrance of the building.

Who are the M23 rebels?

The M23 are led by ethnic Tutsis, who say they needed to take up arms to protect the rights of the minority group.

They say that several previous deals to end the fighting have not been respected - they take their name from a peace agreement that was signed on March 23 2009.

Shortly after its creation in 2012, the M23 rapidly gained territory and seized Goma – acts that were met with international opprobrium and accusations of war crimes and human rights violations.

It was forced to withdraw from Goma, and then suffered a series of heavy defeats at the hands of the Congolese army backed by a multinational force that saw it expelled from the country.

M23 fighters then agreed to be integrated into the army in return for promises that Tutsis would be protected.

But, in 2021, the group took up arms again, saying the promises had been broken.

Goma is a powder keg - local bishop

A bishop in Goma has told Reuters news agency that the city is a "powder keg".

Bishop Willy Ngumbi added that explosives had hit a house where priests were staying and the maternity ward of a Catholic hospital on Monday.

"The youth are armed and the fighting is now taking place in the town," he told Reuters by phone.

Congolese crisis comes as US deprioritises foreign aid

Analysts suggest that Rwandan-backed M23 rebels partly chose this moment to ramp up their offensive, because they anticipated a softer response from the newly installed Trump administration than under Joe Biden's presidency.

The grab on Goma also comes at a time when Trump's government is scrapping almost all of the US' foreign assistance, and pausing new aid.

Crises in Gaza, Sudan, Ukraine and elsewhere have monopolised the attention of the international community - which the rebels no doubt see as a useful distraction.

On Monday the US condemned the rebel attack on Goma, reaffirming its commitment to respecting DR Congo's sovereignty.

During a call with the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi agreed on the need to restart peace talks with Rwanda.

Furious protesters demanding a halt to the rebel advance in Goma have on Tuesday targeted the US embassy in Kinshasa, as well as the embassies of Rwanda, France and others.

Army controls most of Goma, official claims

A government official in the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed earlier on Tuesday that the army now controls most of Goma, in the country’s east.

Muhingo Nzangi, who is also the local MP, told reporters the military had dealt a major blow to the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.

But the rebels continue to claim they control the city.

Footage filmed in Goma shows them packed into jeeps driving through the streets, and looting supplies from shops.

Loud gunfire can also be heard.

Ebola research laboratory at risk in Goma, aid workers say

Aid agencies are deeply concerned that the escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo could trigger the spread of disease, including Ebola and Mpox.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said the laboratory in Goma housing samples of the Ebola virus had lost power because of the fighting, putting the security of the samples at risk.

The World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the epicentre of the conflict was also the epicentre of a new strain of Mpox; more than 20,000 cases have been recorded in the last year, but the violence now makes tracing and treating them impossible.

Half a million people have been displaced this month alone, aid workers in Goma report bodies lying in the streets, and hundreds of civilians injured by heavy artillery.

If a disease like Ebola, which has a mortality rate of up to 80%, were to spread among a population which is both vulnerable and on the move, the Red Cross said, the consequences would be "unimaginable".

'Bomb killed my neighbour and her six children' - fleeing resident

Hundreds of civilians fleeing the violence in Goma have been arriving in the Rwandan town of Gisenyi, which is just over the border.

One woman who was carrying her child and a few belongings told the BBC's Great Lakes service: “Bombs from clashes kept falling near us, one fell on my neighbour’s house, killing her and her six children, that’s when I decided to flee."

Order restored in Kinshasa after protests - minister

DR Congo's information minister has said the police have restored order in the capital Kinshasa, where protests against the crisis in Goma had turned violent.

Patrick Muyaya said the government had initially welcomed the "legitimate" gathering of demonstrators showing their support for the Congolese army and the population of Goma, the main city in the east.

However, the authorities "strongly condemned" the "vandalism and violence" committed by some protesters.

Throughout the morning, foreign embassies were targeted and some buildings were looted and set on fire.

France condemns embassy attack

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has condemned the attack on France's embassy in Kinshasa by protesters on Tuesday morning.

"These attacks are unacceptable," he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter), adding that protesters had "caused a fire that has now been brought under control".

Plumes of smoke were seen billowing from the French embassy, after part of it was set on fire.

"Everything is being done to ensure the safety of our agents and nationals," Barrot added.

Protesters also targeted the embassies of Rwanda, Uganda, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the US.

Death toll climbs for South African peacekeepers

A total of 13 peacekeepers from South Africa are known to have been killed fighting M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Confirmation came that three of the soldiers died in battle at the airport in Goma on Monday while the fourth soldier died from injuries sustained during a major clash with the rebels last Thursday.

Malawi and Uruguay have also lost peacekeepers.

Foreign embassies attacked in capital city

The embassies of Rwanda, Uganda, France and Belgium have been targeted by protesters in the Congolese capital, Kinshasa, in a show of outrage at the ongoing rebel assault on Goma.

Some of the buildings have been looted.

According to the French foreign minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, part of the country's embassy was set on fire.

Police have fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators, who have burnt tyres and are chanting songs against the M23 rebels.

Parts of Kinshasa are practically deserted - schools and shops are closed.

Earlier on Tuesday, a group of civil society activists called on people to stay at home and observe a ghost town as a sign of solidarity with government forces fighting to protect Goma.

Goma airport seized, rebels claim

The M23 rebels say they've now captured Goma's airport.

They faced pockets of resistance but appear to be close to taking the whole city.

The UN says there are dead bodies on the streets and there are reports of rapes committed by fighters.

More than 2,000km away in the Congolese capital Kinshasa, people are furious at the rebel assault.

The country's neighbours - Uganda and Rwanda - have a long history of backing rebel groups in the east.

Their embassies are among those to have been attacked and looted.

There's a danger of a regional conflict - the presidents of Congo and Rwanda are being urged to try peace talks.

Shots fired at medics helping Goma injured

Health workers are being shot at and patients, including babies, are caught in the crossfire in Goma, says the World Health Organization (WHO).

Adelheid Marschang, WHO's emergency response coordinator in DR Congo, was speaking in a joint briefing of UN agencies and other organisations, where the dire humanitarian consequences of the M23’s offensive were highlighted.

Hospitals are overwhelmed with patients suffering gunshot wounds and other injuries, aid groups said.

"There are currently hundreds of people in hospital, most admitted with gunshot wounds," Mr Marschang stated.

The spokesperson of the UN Humanitarian Office, Jens Learke, said staff in Goma reported that corpses could be seen lying in the streets.

Food and medical supplies are also said to have been looted as the chaos unfolded in Goma.

Since the M23 launched its offensive to conquer Goma, organisations have raised concerns that it would worsen the already dire humanitarian situation in the city.

Since the start of this year, 400,000 people have been displaced by the fighting, according to the UN refugee agency.

Hundreds wounded, bodies in streets in Goma

We're restarting our live coverage of the conflict in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as UN aid agencies warn of a major humanitarian crisis in Goma, with hundreds wounded, bodies lying in the streets, and an upsurge in rape and gender-based violence.

The UN refugee agency reports hundreds of thousands of displaced, fleeing "multiple active conflict zones".

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its hospital received over 100 wounded in just 24 hours, a number it previously received over the course of a month, forcing staff to turn the hospital car park into a triage unit.

The use of heavy artillery in densely populated areas is causing severe injuries, particularly among children.

Both the ICRC and the World Food Programme say their warehouses have been looted in recent days.

Round-up of day's events as rebels enter key DR Congo city

Here's a round-up of the key developments:

• Heavy artillery and gunfire has been heard in parts of the city throughout the day
• The rebels had earlier claimed they had captured the city, but the government said it was still in control of key sites, including the airport
• A UN official has described the situation in the city as "very fluid", saying fighting is continuing
• Medics say that many people have died after bombs were dropped, including in a camp for displaced people
• An aid agency says a hospital has been attacked, injuring a baby
• Thousands of people are fleeing Goma or remain trapped in their homes
• Water and electricity supplies in the city have been cut off
• Kenya's president says his Congolese and Rwandan counterparts have agreed to an emergency summit on Wednesday
• The government has vowed that it will not give up "a single centimetre" of territory to the M23 rebels

Situation in Goma very fluid, UN official says

Fighting across Goma "is still very much ongoing", senior UN official Bruno Lemarquis has said, Reuters news agency reports, after M23 rebels claimed they had seized the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Lemarquis said the situation was "very, very fluid" , and "it's not over yet".

-BBC