Rioters stormed embassies and started fires in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, drawing tear gas from police, in an eruption of protests over a Rwandan-backed rebel offensive in the east.

United Nations officials say there were dead bodies on the streets of eastern Congo’s largest city where hospitals are overwhelmed and hundreds of thousands are fleeing gunfire and shelling.

The Congolese government says the attacks on foreign embassies showed anger at Western inaction as Rwanda-backed rebels overran Goma. French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Christophe Lemoine pushes back against the perception that France shares some blame for the situation due to its aid to Rwanda.