Noël Barrot has arrived in Congo's capital Kinshasa, an official at the presidency said on Thursday, as Rwanda-backed rebels consolidated control of Goma in the east of the African country."The Minister of Foreign Affairs of France will be received in the next few minutes by the president,

Police clashed with protesters in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital on Jan. 28, as violence between the Congolese army and M23 rebels escalated in the eastern city of Goma.

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.