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,

Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are closing in on a key city in the mineral-rich region aided by neighboring Rwanda’s army, the head of a peacekeeping mission told United Nations Security Council members during an emergency meeting on Sunday.

Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma, leaving at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displacing thousands of civilians.