Protesters have attacked missions in the capital of the African country as anger grows about the advance of the M23 rebel group.

Residents of the besieged city of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, say they are gripped by fear as gunshots continue to ring out around their homes, days after rebel forces claimed they had taken over.

The East African Community (EAC) heads of state have called for an immediate ceasefire in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. This follows the announcement by the rebel group, M23, that they had captured Goma city,

Nearly 300 foreign mercenaries hired by the Democratic Republic of Congo government to counter a swift offensive by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east have surrendered and were on their way home on Wednesday.

A group of Romanian citizens stranded in the North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of Congo due to military conflict has been successfully evacuated from the country, but not before some of them were filmed being threatened by the advancing rebels.

DR Congo has called on international powers to pressure Rwanda, potentially via sanctions, to end the M23 offensive

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.

In an alert to US citizens in the country, the embassy announced that it was

Rwanda President Paul Kagame has warned South Africa that although Rwanda prefers peace, it will, without doubt, respond to any “confrontation” from any force that threatens its sovereignty or defence forces.

President Cyril Ramaphosa has addressed growing speculation about the conditions faced by South African troops deployed in the DRC.