Sawt Falasteen - Gunshots in DR Congo's Goma as protesters attack embassies

The main city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has become a battleground since fighters from the Tutsi-led M23 armed group and Rwandan forces entered central Goma on Sunday night after a weeks-long advance through the region.

The lightning offensive marks a major escalation in the vast central African country's mineral-rich east, which has been plagued by fighting between armed groups backed by regional rivals since the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

It has also triggered a spiralling humanitarian crisis, forcing half a million people from their homes since the start of the year, the UN refugee agency said on Monday.

In Kinshasa, protesters criticising international inaction attacked the embassies of Rwanda, France, Belgium and the United States.

Kenya's principal secretary for foreign affairs Korir Sing'Oei on X condemned attacks on Kenyan, Ugandan and South African embassies by "marauding protesters who are voicing their discontent".

The US embassy in Kinshasa has advised citizens to "shelter in place and avoid movements".

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot condemned the "unacceptable" attack, saying a fire in the French embassy building was now under control.

With tensions rising, the UN Security Council was scheduled to meet later on Tuesday.

In Goma, gunshots could still be heard on Tuesday although the intensity of the fighting appeared to have decreased.

The city of one million, which was already home to an estimated 700,000 internally displaced people, sits on the shores of Lake Kivu on the border with Rwanda.

Despite the sound of gunfire nearby, some residents ventured down to the lakeside, according to AFP correspondents.

Dozens of M23 fighters were seen marching through Goma's main streets, some wearing bulletproof vests and carrying Congolese weapons.

Several residents said they had been robbed by Congolese soldiers or militia fighters.

"They stole everything from us, our phones, even our shoes. We saw them take off their clothes and throw away their weapons," said Jospin Nyolemwaka, who fled his neighbourhood.

"We're starting to leave here, but there was looting yesterday. We saw bodies in the road," a resident of Goma's Kituku market area told AFP.

- 'Next 24 hours will be critical' -

It was not clear which parts of Goma were under the control of Congolese forces or the Rwandan-backed M23, which claimed it had taken the city on Sunday night.

At least 17 people have been killed and 367 wounded during two days of fighting, according to reports from overwhelmed hospitals.

The United Nations said Tuesday that food assistance in and around Goma had been "paused" and voiced concern over food shortages.

"The next 24 hours will be critical, as people start to run low on supplies and will need to see what they can find to survive," the World Food Programme's DRC spokeswoman Shelley Thakral said.

The Red Cross warned there could be "unimaginable consequences" if samples of Ebola and other pathogens held at a laboratory in Goma were allowed to spread amid the fighting.

- Diplomacy push -

After a previous UN Security Council emergency meeting on Sunday, the Congolese government expressed "dismay" at the Council's "vague" statement, which stopped short of naming Rwanda.

The DRC has accused Rwanda of wanting to profit from the region's abundant minerals that include gold, coltan, copper and cobalt, calling for stronger UN action.

Rwanda has denied the claims, saying its aim is to tackle an armed group called the FDLR, primarily composed of Hutu militants formed in the wake of the Rwandan genocide.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council was due to hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who has not yet spoken publicly since the pro-Rwandan forces entered Goma, was due to address the nation later in the day.

Kenya has also announced a crisis summit on Wednesday will be attended by Tshisekedi and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame.

South Africa's defence force said Tuesday that four more of its soldiers were killed fighting the M23, raising the death toll of peacekeepers from a southern Africa regional force and the UN mission in DRC to 17.

A ceasefire in August failed to keep the peace and Angola-mediated talks between Tshisekedi and Kagame were abruptly cancelled in mid-December.

The group re-emerged in late 2021 and started seizing large swathes of North Kivu province.

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S.AbuJamous--SF-PST