Rwanda-backed Congolese rebels from the M23 movement have announced the capture of the major city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports indicate casualties among international peacekeepers,

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

Many Congolese see the rebel advance as an invasion of their country by a foreign power in an attempt to seize land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals.