Rebels backed by Rwanda have captured more towns in eastern Congo as fighters moved beyond the key city of Goma in an apparent attempt to expand their control in the conflict-battered region

Many of the millions of people trapped in eastern Congo's escalating rebellion face a terrible choice: Retreat into Congo's interior and seek the protection of a weak army in disarray, or cross into nearby Rwanda,

(Reuters) - Rwanda, which diplomats say backs M23 fighters who seized Goma in Democratic Republic of Congo this week, called on Wednesday for a ceasefire across eastern Congo and for Congo to negotiate with the rebels while denying Rwandan troops were involved.

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.

The conflict comes amid rising global tensions after Donald Trump’s election, especially between Washington and Beijing, over control of strategic minerals like those present in the Congo.

Vladimir Putin grabbed Donbas, an eastern region of Ukraine, and pretended he had not. As a figleaf he used local separatist forces, which Russia armed, supplied and directed. These forces, he claimed,

Much of the beleagured city of Goma was calm early Wednesday morning, after a day during which thousands of fleeing people hunkered down by roadsides as missiles flew and injured people streamed to overwhelmed hospitals.

The United States urged the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to consider measures to halt an offensive by Rwandan troops and M23 rebel forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as a conflict there escalates.

In an unprecedented escalation of tensions between South Africa and Rwanda, President Paul Kagame has responded to President Cyril Ramaphosa, with Kagame accusing his Pretoria counterpart of distorting facts.

Refugees head to Rwanda even as Congo and the UN accuse it of fueling the conflict with its own troops and weapons.

Just over three years after the resurgence of the M23 in eastern DR Congo, the rebel group's war with a government coalition saw its biggest escalation on Sunday, January 26, when the rebels entered Goma,