People in Kinshasa protest against Rwanda and the crisis in the eastern DRC

Anti-Rwandan protests broke out in Kinshasa on Tuesday morning, as rebels continued to battle Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) forces in the key eastern city of Goma.

People carried Congolese flags and swore allegiance to President Felix Tshisekedi, burning tyres and blocking roads in the capital which is thousands of kilometres away from Goma.

The DRC and many foreign governments allege that Rwandan forces are currently present in Congo, along with the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels that claim to have taken control of the key city.

Protester Jeanine Ngalula called out Rwandan President Paul Kagame directly.

“If Kagame arrives here in Kinshasa and takes the place of President Tshisekedi, he will not be able to govern. Congo is our country, the land of our ancestors,” she said.

M23 took control of Goma briefly in 2012 in a failed insurgency against the Congolese government. They launched an offensive again in 2022.

Protester Eric Boyololo said he was tired of calls for dialogue.

“No more conversation, we have to fight. We can’t do any more dialogue in this country. We are proud to stand up and fight the enemy,” he said.

Residents of Goma reported gunfire overnight in the city of two million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday.

Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.

In a post on social media platform, X, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said he had agreed in a phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the need for a ceasefire, but gave no indication he would bow to demands to withdraw from the city.

Goma is a regional trade and humanitarian hub holding hundreds of thousands of the more than six million people displaced by the prolonged conflict in the eastern DRC.

The M23 rebels are one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region.

It remains unclear how much of Goma the rebels control.