Congolese troops have fought back against Rwanda-backed rebels who the U.N. says are moving fast into the South Kivu province after seizing the region’s largest city and an international airport.

The Tutsi-led rebels have seized Goma, the largest city in east Congo and capital of North Kivu province, which is home to lucrative gold, coltan and tin mines. They then moved on towards Bukavu in South Kivu province,

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are seeking to advance south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, in an attempt to expand their area of control in the country's east after capturing the city of Goma.

Rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have vowed to take their fight to the country's capital – but their attempts to march south are have been met by resistance.Rwanda-backed rebels aiming to gain power have already captured Goma,

There has been fierce fighting as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels advance towards the second-largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, marking a further escalation in the region's conflict. M23 fighters have been moving south, towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu, after capturing the largest city in the region, Goma.

Members of the M23 rebel group gather to supervise Congolese potential recruits for the M23 rebel group before being taken to training centres run by M23 rebels, amid clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC),

Rwanda-backed rebels who captured eastern Congo's largest city said Thursday they want to take their fight to the far-off capital, Kinshasa, hours after Congo’s president called for a massive military mobilization to resist the rebellion.