The last two towns before Goma, a provincial capital in Congo’s east, have just fallen to M23 rebels. They last captured the city in 2012.

The UN chief on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in recent days in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is taking a “devastating toll” on civilians.

Türkiye is ready to provide any support needed to resolve the dispute between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo, should both parties desire it, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday.

Luggage on their backs, they trudged all Wednesday morning along the road leading to downtown Goma, fleeing the advancing fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The M23 rebel group in Democratic Republic of Congo has seized the eastern town of Minova, a main supply route for the provincial capital Goma, a local governor and a rebel leader said on Tuesday as the army reported fighting on all fronts.

The M23 rebel group's aggressive advance into the mineral-rich east of the Democratic Republic of Congo has displaced thousands, threatening areas like Goma. The rebel force has gained control of key mining territories,

Panic spread in eastern Congo's main city on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to Goma and seizing a nearby town as they battle the Congolese army. Bombs were heard going off in the city's distant outskirts and hundreds of wounded civilians were brought in to the main hospital from the area of the fighting.

Authorities in eastern Congo say M23 rebels have seized the town of Minova, a key supply route for the provincial capital, Goma.

M23 and government. forces. Zones occupied. by M23. 200 km. kinshasa. Rwanda. Lake Kivu. Map data: OSM, NASA. Sources: military and humanitari

NZULO, Congo — The M23 rebel group's advance toward eastern Congo's largest city has displaced over 178,000 people in the past two weeks, the United Nations said, as the fighters closed in on Goma on the border with Rwanda.

The US State Department demanded that Rwanda stop using GPS jamming equipment in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions of people displaced by conflict are desperate for aid.