US embassy in Republic of the Congo 'on fire' after protesters set tires alight; other embassies also attacked during protests of rebel attacks

[essentialsaltes]

US embassy in Republic of the Congo 'on fire' after protesters set tires alight

The US embassy previously said it had planned to close on Monday ahead of protests against the government and Rwanda's alleged support for the M23 rebels. Congo’s security has been fighting the armed group in the city of Goma, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes. However, it seems the demonstrations have since turned violent and spilled into the following day.

Other embassies, including those belonging to European nations, such as Belgium and France, and African nations, such as Uganda and Rwanda, also seem to have been targeted with fires and, in some cases, looting.

Protesters attack French, US, Rwandan embassies in DRC​

Demonstrators attack embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the United States in Kinshasa.

Protesters demanding action over the M23 rebel group’s offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have attacked several embassies in the capital, Kinshasa.

Crowds of demonstrators attacked the embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the United States on Tuesday, and smoke could be seen rising from the French embassy after a fire erupted.

Protesters denounced international inaction over the conflict, targeting the embassies of countries they accuse of complicity in Rwanda’s alleged support for the rebel group, which Kigali denies.

 

[Hoping2]

US embassy in Republic of the Congo 'on fire' after protesters set tires alight

The US embassy previously said it had planned to close on Monday ahead of protests against the government and Rwanda's alleged support for the M23 rebels. Congo’s security has been fighting the armed group in the city of Goma, forcing hundreds of thousands of residents to flee their homes. However, it seems the demonstrations have since turned violent and spilled into the following day.

Other embassies, including those belonging to European nations, such as Belgium and France, and African nations, such as Uganda and Rwanda, also seem to have been targeted with fires and, in some cases, looting.

Protesters attack French, US, Rwandan embassies in DRC​

Demonstrators attack embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the United States in Kinshasa.

Protesters demanding action over the M23 rebel group’s offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have attacked several embassies in the capital, Kinshasa.

Crowds of demonstrators attacked the embassies of France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and the United States on Tuesday, and smoke could be seen rising from the French embassy after a fire erupted.

Protesters denounced international inaction over the conflict, targeting the embassies of countries they accuse of complicity in Rwanda’s alleged support for the rebel group, which Kigali denies.

Isn't it a shame that our mass media is so intent on one aspect of life that it has no space to print news from around the world ?
I wonder what has happened in N Sudan ?
Somalia ?
Timor ?
Nigeria ?
News from Ukraine has disappeared !
And forget about learning anything about Russia....

 

[BCP1928]

That's the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo is a different country entirely;

 

[Pommer]

That's the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo is a different country entirely;

The Mirror link was ambiguous, si.

 

[wing2000]

...more background on the conflict:

Analysts say the real fight is for control over the Congo’s vast mineral deposits, estimated to be worth $24 trillion, and critical to much of the world’s technology.

https://apnews.com/article/congo-kagame-rwanda-m23-goma-dc811a91d29374a8771333abcb3705a6

 

[iluvatar5150]

That's the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Republic of the Congo is a different country entirely;

Democrats engaging in violent protest? of course

/s

 

[essentialsaltes]

USAID staffers describe colleagues abandoned in violence in Congo as DOGE ends assistance programs​

As chaos reigned at USAID’s headquarters, with senior leadership removed and funding frozen, USAID workers and their families abroad had no agency help in fleeing after looters overran their homes in Kinshasa, several of the staffers said in sworn accounts to a federal court.

 

[iluvatar5150]

USAID staffers describe colleagues abandoned in violence in Congo as DOGE ends assistance programs​

As chaos reigned at USAID’s headquarters, with senior leadership removed and funding frozen, USAID workers and their families abroad had no agency help in fleeing after looters overran their homes in Kinshasa, several of the staffers said in sworn accounts to a federal court.

I await the complaints from the folks who were angry about our withdrawal from Afghanistan.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Forced to flee Congo, USAID workers lost everything. They’re suing Trump.​

Violent political demonstrations erupted and protesters attacked the U.S. Embassy. By the end of the day, most staff were told to evacuate.
But just how they would get back to the United States was unclear: The White House had frozen foreign aid spending about a week earlier and put senior USAID leaders on leave. The agency had stopped paying for employee travel.

Marcus [Doe, a lawsuit pseudonym to avoid retaliation] began to feel “an intense sense of panic” that the U.S. government would abandon its workers in Kinshasa. When he finally made it to Washington after a harrowing journey by boat and plane, Marcus was put on administrative leave.

The account is one of more than a dozen from U.S. employees stationed overseas, along with others who work with USAID, included in a lawsuit filed Tuesday by unions representing USAID staff and U.S. Foreign Service officers.

The USAID staffers in Kinshasa made it back to D.C., but they left behind everything from baby books and children’s favorite toys to vehicles and regular access to neonatal care, according to their sworn declarations. One family had to leave behind their dog.

“Olivia Doe” has been a USAID employee in Kinshasa since 2023. She works on establishing direct lines of critical minerals, including cobalt, from Congo to the United States.

The country is home to 60 percent of the world’s cobalt. It is extracted through an under-regulated system of about 100,000 miners, who risk their lives to dig hundreds of feet underground with hand tools. The mineral is almost exclusively sent to China, where it is used to make batteries

Olivia wrote that her job was to help reduce the country’s dependence on China through increased trade with the United States.

“We have essentially ‘ghosted’ all of our partners and our reputation may forever be tarnished as a result,” she wrote, later adding: “China is ready to immediately jump in and take over.”

 

[Aryeh Jay]

I await the complaints from the folks who were angry about our withdrawal from Afghanistan.

USAID has billions of dollars in military equipment in the Congo?