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.

Rwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.

Earlier this week the Tutsi-led M23 rebels seized Goma, the largest city in the east of Democratic Republic of Congo which is home to lucrative gold, coltan and tin ore mines. They then shifted their focus to Bukavu in neighbouring South Kivu province and made some progress toward that objective.

As Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo push south towards the city of Bukavu, they are likely to have to fight their way through thousands of troops from Burundi, ramping up the risk of a return to full-blown regional war.

United Nations officials say there were dead bodies on the streets of eastern Congo’s largest city where hospitals are overwhelmed and hundreds of thousands are fleeing gunfire and shelling.