PCS Musalia Mudavadi. /PCSThe government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has committed to compensate the Kenyan government for damages occassioned on its embassy in the capital Kinshasa by a riotous mob protesting the violent conflict in the Eastern DRC.
M23 rebels on Monday claimed seizing Goma, the biggest and key city in North Kivu, sparking mass displacement of residents fearing for their lives as government-aligned forces battle the rebels.
The development ignited protests in the capital Kinshasa, where protesters attacked and firebombed embassies of several countries, including Kenya's and neighbouring Uganda's.
CNN reported that the French embassy had also been firebombed, with Larry Madowo quoting Rwandan Government Spokesperson Yolande Makolo saying, "Attacking embassies solves nothing; the rioters are destroying property that belongs to Congolese individuals or companies.”
Prime Cabinet Secretary and Foreign and Diaspora CS Musalia Mudavadi said in a statement that two staff at the Kenyan embassy escaped and sought refuge elsewhere as the mobs went on a looting and destruction spree.
"These unfortunate attacks happened in the full glare of DRC security officers who took no action to mitigate the situation," Mudavadi said.
The PCS said the attacks violate international law and the long-held principles and provisions of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
"The Convention identifies host states as being under a special duty to take all appropriate steps to protect the premises of the mission against any intrusion or damage and to prevent any disturbance of the peace of the mission or impairment of its dignity," he said.
Mudavadi said the convention further obligates host states to take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on the diplomatic staff, their freedom, or dignity.
The PCS said he pointed these grave violations to the DRC Foreign Minister Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner, who he said confirmed the unfortunate incident and assured that urgent measures were being taken to address the situation and reestablish order.
"The DRC Foreign Minister has committed to assess and compensate the Kenyan government for the damages to the embassy," Mudavadi said.
He said Kenya acknowledges the assurance for reparation and the DRC's commitment to international law and the Vienna Convention to address the situation and to ensure the security and safety of Kenyan staff and their families.
"We beseech our citizens to exercise extreme caution as the Kenyan government reassures you of the emergency response to cater for the safety and welfare of Kenyans in the conflict areas," Mudavadi said.
He said Kenya will continue working with regional and international actors towards finding a peaceful solution to the conflict.
President William Ruto, the chair of the East African Community, has, in response to the escalating situation in the DRC, called for an emergency EAC Summit scheduled for Wednesday for member states to seek a lasting solution to the decades-long conflict.
