The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it had seized the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.
GOMA, Congo (AP) — Thousands fled the city of Goma on Monday as fighting raged between Congolese forces and rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, who claimed to have captured eastern Congo’s largest regional hub.
Rwandan-backed rebels marched into east Congo's largest city Goma on Monday and Congolese troops exchanged fire with the Rwandan military across the border, in the worst escalation of a long-running conflict for more than a decade.
Troops from Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have been firing at each other across their shared border in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, where Rwandan-backed rebels launched an offensive,
Fighting in Congo has escalated in recent days despite calls from the UN Security Council for the insurgents to withdraw
Heavy artillery fire could be heard in Goma on Monday, hours after Rwandan troops and fighters from the M23 rebel group entered the capital of North Kivu Province. The UN has warned of a looming crisis.
Ethnic Tutsi-led M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have infiltrated Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, escalating tensions and renewing fears of regional war. The conflict stems from the fallout of Rwanda's 1994 genocide,
M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have taken the key eastern city of Goma in fierce fighting with government forces that sent streams of refugees fleeing area communities.
Prices of Rwanda's dollar bond fell on Monday after M23 rebels backed by the country entered the largest city in the east of neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, in a sharp escalation of a long running conflict.
STORY: Rwandan-backed rebels marched into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city on Monday, according to witnesses.That's prompted thousands of people, including Congolese soldiers, to flee across the border into Rwanda.
Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said Kinshasa wanted to prevent "carnage," with Rwanda's forces in the east of the country. It comes after the M23 group claimed to have taken the city of Goma.