Protesters burned American and Belgian flags, and also set tires on fire as they targeted Western embassies in the DRC capital.
Police fired tear gas to disperse crowds in central Kinshasa on Monday.
The demonstrators were angry at what they saw as Western support for their neighbors Rwanda After being accused of supporting the rebellion in the east of the country Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A police officer in front of burning tires after breaking up a protest in Kinshasa. Photo: Reuters
Rwanda denied the allegations, which came as the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group advanced and threatened the strategic city of Goma.
But the DRC, Western governments including the United States, Belgium and a UN group of experts say the M23 movement benefits from Rwandan support.
Armed rebels in the east of the country have committed unlawful killings, rape and other apparent war crimes since late 2022, according to Human Rights Watch.
Demonstrators gathered on Monday in front of the US and French embassies and the offices of the UN mission, despite enhanced security measures after UN staff and vehicles were attacked on Saturday.
Some people threw stones and tried to smash the surveillance cameras on one of the American embassy offices, while others chanted: “Leave our country, we do not want your hypocrisy.”
Riot police stand on a truck during a protest in Kinshasa. Photo: Reuters
Motorcyclist Fabrice Malumba, who participated in the demonstration in front of the American embassy, said, “The international community remains silent while the Congolese are being killed. They are financing Rwanda.”
“Westerners are behind the plundering of our country, Rwanda does not act alone, so they must leave our country,” said Bibin Mbindo, who also joined the protest.
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Elsewhere, a protester reportedly removed the European Union flag from the entrance of a large hotel in the city centre.
DRC Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Christophe Lutondola met with ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in Kinshasa, and later said security measures would be taken to protect their premises.
Decades of conflict in eastern DRC between armed groups competing for land and resources, and attacks on civilians, have killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced more than seven million.
