Why it matters:
Congolese security forces are seeking to slow the insurgents who advanced into Goma in recent days. Dozens of demonstrators, meanwhile, attacked several foreign embassies, including those of Rwanda, France, and Belgium far off in the capital, Kinshasa, demanding that they condemn Rwanda over its role in the major escalation in one of Africa’s longest conflicts driven by ethnic tensions.
French embassy goes up in smoke in Kinshasa today as people hit the streets to resist colonial rule in DRC. France is backing Rwandan terrorist atrocities in DRC.
The big picture:
The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the conflict-battered North Kivu province, which includes Goma, which is rich in minerals critical to much of the world’s technology.
Key points:
- It's getting chaotic: Ugandan, Rwandan, Kenyan, Japanese, US, and French embassies in Kinshasa were attacked.
- Congo’s M23 rebel group captured Goma, the administrative center of North Kivu in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
- Clashes between M23 and the Congolese army continue in Goma city center. According to reports, several more coalition soldiers were killed in the clashes.
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