Bodies are lying on the streets. Medical staff in overwhelmed hospitals are treating hundreds of wounded civilians against the backdrop of gunfire and explosions. Electricity, water and internet access are cut off,

Residents in eastern Congo’s largest city of Goma are fleeing after Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured the regional hub from Congolese forces

have been keeping M23 away from Goma. The U.N. peacekeeping force entered Congo more than two decades ago and has around 14,000 peacekeepers on the ground. Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal.

Goma resident Bahati Jackson’s family has ... Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Lederer reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda contributed ...

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels have claimed control of eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains ...

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Fightings between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces led thousands of people to flee camps on the outskirts of Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to local media ...

In June last year, Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo hit out about the presence of mercenaries in eastern DR Congo, saying it was a violation of the Geneva Conventions, which prohibit the use of hired combatants. In response, Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya dismissed what he called Rwanda's perennial complaint.

The Rwanda-backed M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo in one of Africa’s longest conflicts, displacing 4.5 million people and creating what the U.N. called “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth."

The embassy issued the notice at the end of a tumultuous day in Kinshasa, where the State Department reported “violent protests” at U.S. government buildings.

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.