The 2025 Kinshasa riots are a series of violent demonstrations that occurred on January 28, 2025 in

Kinshasa Kinshasa (; ; ), formerly named Léopoldville from 1881–1966 (), is the Capital city, capital and Cities of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, largest city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Kinshasa is one of the world's fastest-grow ...

, the capital of the

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), also known as the DR Congo, Congo-Kinshasa, or simply the Congo (the last ambiguously also referring to the neighbouring Republic of the Congo), is a country in Central Africa. By land area, it is t ...

(DRC). Multiple foreign diplomatic missions, including the embassies of the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

Rwanda Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of East Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator, Rwanda is bordered by ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

, and

Uganda Uganda, officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. It is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the ...

, became targets of civil unrest as protesters expressed their opposition to perceived international inaction regarding M23 rebel advances in eastern DRC.

Background

Protests and riots

The advancement of M23 forces into

Goma Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the North Kivu, North Kivu Province; it is located on the northern shore of Lake Kivu and shares borders with the Bukumu Chiefdo ...

, the capital of

North Kivu North Kivu () is a Provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital city is Goma. Spanning approximately 59,483 square kilometers with a population esti ...

and a major regional hub with a population of two million, sparked intense public anger in

, particularly directed at nations perceived as failing to intervene in the conflict. Protests conducted on highlighted growing tensions over the international community's response to the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, with demonstrators specifically calling for increased pressure on Rwanda regarding its alleged support of the M23 rebels. Anger was expressed towards European and neighboring African nations' perceived hypocrisy in demanding peace while continuing to diplomatically support Rwanda, with several protesters calling them complicit in the ongoing violence and humanitarian crisis. During the demonstrations, protesters targeted multiple diplomatic facilities in Kinshasa. The most significant damage occurred at the embassies of

, and

, where demonstrators engaged in acts of

vandalism Vandalism is the action involving deliberate destruction of or damage to public or private property. The term includes property damage, such as graffiti and defacement directed towards any property without permission of the owner. The t ...

and

arson Arson is the act of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, watercr ...

, setting fires to portions of the diplomatic compounds. The

n and

n diplomatic missions were also targeted during the unrest. Protesters burned tires in the streets and engaged in direct confrontations with security forces. In a security alert, the U.S. Embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo reported that large crowds were throwing rocks, attacking vehicles, setting up roadblocks, and setting small fires amid the unrest. In addition, local markets and supermarkets were

looted Looting is the act of stealing, or the taking of goods by force, typically in the midst of a military, political, or other social crisis, such as war, natural disasters (where law and civil enforcement are temporarily ineffective), or rioting. ...

across the city.

Response

Law enforcement responded to the situation by deploying

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymatory agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the Mace (spray), early commercial self-defense spray, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the ey ...

and firing warning shots to disperse the crowds. The DRC's Minister of Communications

Patrick Muyaya Katembwe Patrick Muyaya Katembwe, (born July 10, 1982) is a Congolese politician. He has served as a member of the National Assembly of the Democratic Republic of Congo since 2011. Since 2021 he is the government spokesman. Early life Patrick Muyaya wa ...

addressed the situation on national television, calling for peaceful demonstrations and urging protesters to respect diplomatic infrastructure. The

US Embassy The United States has the second largest number of active diplomatic posts of any country in the world after the People's Republic of China, including 272 bilateral posts (embassies and consulates) in 174 countries, as well as 11 permanent miss ...

issued guidance to its citizens, recommending they

shelter in place Shelter-in-place (SIP; also known as a shelter-in-place warning, Specific Area Message Encoding, SAME code SPW) is the act of seeking safety within the building one already occupies, rather than emergency evacuation, evacuating the area or seeking ...

before seeking safe departure from the country while commercial travel options remained available. The embassy specifically warned about potential roadblocks and protests affecting routes to airports.

Reactions

The

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

issued a formal condemnation of the embassy attacks, with a spokesperson for

EU Foreign Affairs Chief The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission (HR/VP) is the chief co-ordinator and representative of the Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP) within the European U ...

Kaja Kallas Kaja Kallas (; born 18 June 1977) is an Estonian politician and diplomat. She was the first female prime minister of Estonia, a role she held from 2021 until 2024, when she resigned in advance of her appointment as High Representative of the ...

emphasizing the necessity of protecting diplomatic missions under the

Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961 is an international treaty that defines a framework for diplomatic relations between independent countries. Its aim is to facilitate "the development of friendly relations" among government ...

Foreign Minister of France The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs (, MEAE) is the ministry of the Government of France that handles France's foreign relations. Since 1855, its headquarters have been located at 37 Quai d'Orsay, close to the National Assembly. The ter ...

Jean-Noël Barrot Jean-Noël Barrot (; born 13 May 1983) is a French-Swiss politician of the Democratic Movement (MoDem) who has been serving as Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs in the successive governments of Prime Ministers Michel Barnier and François ...

specifically addressed the attack on France's embassy, declaring the actions "unacceptable" and assuring that measures were being implemented to protect diplomatic personnel and citizens. Kenya's

Prime Cabinet Secretary The prime cabinet secretary of the Kenya, Republic of Kenya is a post in the executive arm of the Government of Kenya created on 27 September 2022. History On 27 September 2022, President William Ruto issued and signed Presidential Executive O ...

and Minister of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs

Musalia Mudavadi Wycliffe Musalia Mudavadi (born 21 September 1960 in Vihiga County Kenya Colony) is a Kenyan politician and land economist who is currently serving as Prime Cabinet Secretary of Kenya, and since 2023, in an expanded role of Foreign & Diaspora ...

issued a statement expressing deep concern over the attacks on their embassy offices and personnel, characterizing the incidents as grave violations of international law.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kinshasa riots, 2025 2025 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 2020s political riots 2025 riots Building and structure arson attacks in Africa Attacks on diplomatic missions Riots and civil disorder in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 21st century in Kinshasa Democratic Republic of the Congo–Rwanda relations 2025 in international relations Arson in 2025 2020s fires in Africa Arson in the Democratic Republic of the Congo January 2025 in Africa Looting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Attacks on buildings and structures in 2025 Attacks on buildings and structures in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Marketplace attacks in Africa M23 campaign (2022–present)