M23 rebels claim they have taken control of the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN has condemned 'flagrant disregard' for the DRC's sovereignty. DW has more.

Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the East African Community (EAC), said he would convene a meeting of regional leaders over the escalating security crisis in eastern DR Congo, where rebels threatened to occupy the city of Goma.

Goma resident Chibalonza Habimana is aware of the war at the gateway to her home city and the threat posed by the M23 rebels' offensive but unlike thousands of Goma's residents who have abandoned their homes and fled the city,

STORY: Rwandan-backed fighters on Sunday closed in on eastern Congo's largest city of Goma……forcing thousands of civilians to flee, and grounding flights from the local airport as government forces battled to stop the rebels from seizing the city.

Intensifying hostilities on the outskirts of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and beyond involving the non-state armed group M23 have caused further mass displacement in the mineral-rich region,

Civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are at increasing risk as the abusive M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), approaches Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

Gunshots rang out Sunday night in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, AFP journalists heard, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of sending fresh troops

The M23 rebels announced the capture of Goma in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired.

Congolese authorities have blocked access to the airport in Goma, a provincial capital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and cancelled flights as rebels advance on the city, three officials told Reuters on Sunday.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, as the United Nations reported “mass panic” with the government dubbing

Opposition parties are demanding answers and accountability from the South African government over the deaths of nine SA National Defence Force (SANDF) soldiers in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last week.