Kinshasa, Jan 29 Uganda Airlines announced the suspension of its flights to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where several embassies were damaged, looted, and even set on fire amid mass demonstrations.
The decision was made on Tuesday after violent protests targeting foreign embassies against the dire situation in Goma, the capital of the DRC's eastern province of North Kivu, and the "inaction" of the international community, reports Xinhua news agency.
Protesters were seen on the city's main arteries, disrupting traffic, blocking commercial activities, burning tyres, and chanting slogans in front of the embassies of the United States and other Western countries and the headquarters of the United Nations peacekeeping mission. Part of the exterior of the French embassy was set on fire by protesters, while the nearby Ugandan embassy was also set on fire and looted. Sounds of detonation were heard in the neighbourhoods where the Rwandan embassy and the US consular service are located.
Daniel Bumba Lubaki, governor of Kinshasa, announced on Tuesday the suspension of all marches and protest movements in the city, though another peaceful march is still planned in the capital. 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 ongoing between the DRC army and the rebels since early Tuesday. According to military sources, the latter have taken control of the area near the airport, a strategic point once controlled by the M23.
Uganda said on Tuesday that the UN has evacuated part of its staff from Goma. Henry Okello Oryem, Uganda's minister of state for foreign affairs in charge of international cooperation, told Xinhua by telephone that the UN's administrative and non-essential staff have been evacuated to Kampala, Uganda's capital, as a precautionary measure amid the ongoing escalation of hostilities and territorial advances by the M23.
"The relocation and evacuation of the non-essential and civilian staff of the UN from Goma to Uganda, in this particular case, is a precautionary measure for their safety and security. We shall update on the number when the evacuation is done," said Oryem.
The African Union (AU) on Tuesday condemned the violence in the eastern DRC and called on the M23 to "lay down" its arms.
The AU's Peace and Security Council held an extraordinary ministerial meeting on Tuesday, where Bankole Adeoye, AU commissioner for political affairs, peace and security, urged "M23 to lay down arms, honour the August 2024 ceasefire agreement, and prioritise dialogue for a peaceful solution."
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Sunday that he was deeply concerned by the escalating violence in the eastern DRC and reiterated his strongest condemnation of the M23's ongoing offensive and advances toward Goma.
Guterres called on the M23 to immediately cease all hostile actions and withdraw from occupied areas. More than 400,000 people have been displaced since the start of 2025 in the eastern DRC, according to the UN.
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