DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi said on Thursday that his troops were mounting a military response as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters advanced in the east of the country.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi will not take part in regionally brokered talks aimed at ending the rebel assault on the key eastern city of Goma, state media has reported.

The president of crisis-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was set to meet his Rwandan counterpart at an emergency summit on Wednesday, as fighters backed by Kigali appeared on the brink of seizing the key city of Goma.

The weeks-long march of the M23 armed group, which has captured vast swathes of eastern DRC including most of the key city of Goma, has prompted calls for crisis talks and warnings of a looming humanitarian crisis.

Once again, the eastern Congolese city of Goma has fallen to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The mayhem is certainly real; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) displacement crisis is second only to Sudan’s,

The Rwanda-backed M23 armed group vowed Thursday to "continue the march of liberation" to the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, as its fighters made further advances in the mineral-rich east of the country.

The president of crisis-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was set to meet his Rwandan counterpart at an emergency summit on Wednesday, as fighters backed by Kigali appeared on the brink of seizing the key city of Goma.

According to eyewitnesses, the rebel militia M23 is expanding its sphere of influence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fighters

In April 2022, EAC leaders met in Nairobi, Kenya, and agreed to establish a regional force to be deployed in eastern DRC to facilitate dialogue between the warring parties. While the DRC government and the rebels agreed to a ceasefire, tensions persisted.

Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi snubbed a meeting convened by President William Ruto to discuss the security crisis in his country but confirmed attendance of a separate meeting convened by southern African countries,

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi warned of "unpredictable consequences" for the region as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels seized the city of Goma. Rwanda denies backing M23 or having troops in Congo and President Paul Kagame blamed the conflict on Tshisekedi's inability to control his territory and protect his citizens.