Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” against a rebel alliance that has besieged swaths of the nation’s mineral-rich east and forced hundreds of local troops and foreign mercenaries to surrender.

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.

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed to restore government authority in the east, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized control of the city of Goma and are reportedly advancing south to take more territory.

Despite the failure of all previous peace efforts in eastern DR Congo, the international community, led by the mediator country Angola, remains committed to continuing negotiations.

DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi insisted his troops were mounting a "vigorous" response to Rwanda-backed fighters advancing in the country's perennially troubled east and slammed the international

President Paul Kagame says Rwanda was ready for 'confrontation' as he rejected criticism over his backing for M23 rebels who were pushing south in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

Dead bodies lie on the streets of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as heavy fighting continues between Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, and the DRC forces supported by international peacekeeping troops.

The scene is the result of the invasion of Goma on January 27th by M23, an armed group under the control of Rwanda, Congo’s neighbour, which abuts the city. Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president, has escalated a crisis whose origins go back decades.

A Rwanda-backed militia seized the pivotal Congolese city of Goma this week, threatening a new humanitarian crisis after decades of fighting.

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.