GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Rwandan-backed rebels marched into the centre of east Congo's largest city on Monday, witnesses said, in the latest escalation of decades of conflict in a region already suffering one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo left six United Nations peacekeepers dead, UN officials said Saturday.
Fighting has intensified in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have captured key towns and are advancing towards Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the region near Rwanda.
An insurgency led by M23 rebels in eastern Congo has escalated and reached the city of Goma, worsening a humanitarian crisis in a region that suffered two devastating wars between 1996 and 2003.
Advances being made by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo are "heightening the threat of a regional war," according to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.
The M23 took Goma, the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's largest city, once before in 2012, withdrawing after international pressure was put on Rwanda. In a statement, the rebels urged residents to remain calm.
Britain, the EU, and the United Nations have piled pressure on the African nation over its backing of the M23 rebels
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Rwandan troops to exit the Democratic Republic of Congo and cease aiding M23 rebels nearing Goma. The conflict, escalating in DRC's east, has claimed
The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday called for the United Nations to sanction Rwanda, accusing its neighbour of issuing a "declaration of war" by sending more troops over the
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.
Rwanda-backed rebels say they captured Goma, eastern Congo’s largest city and the government’s last stronghold in the region bordering Rwanda. It marks a sharp escalation in one of Africa’s longest