Congo rebels reach center of eastern city in major escalation

Rwandan-backed rebels marched into the centre of east Congo’s largest city on Monday, witnesses said, in the latest escalation of decades of conflict in a region already suffering one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

The rebel alliance, spearheaded by the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 militia, said it had captured the whole of the lakeside city, but that could not be independently confirmed.

Gunfire rang out near the airport, city centre and border with Rwanda, with two residents reporting ongoing clashes between government-aligned militia and M23 fighters.

Read more: Reuters