Fighting across the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and "is still very much ongoing ... it's not over yet," senior U.N. official in Congo, Bruno Lemarquis, said on Monday after Rwandan-backed M23 rebels claimed to have control of Goma.

GOMA, Congo (AP) — Thousands fled the city of Goma on Monday as fighting raged between Congolese forces and rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, who claimed to have captured eastern Congo’s largest regional hub.

The latest fighting has intensified a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 400,000 people since the start of the year, and raised fears of sparking a regional war, the U.N. has warned.

M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have taken the key eastern city of Goma in fierce fighting with government forces that sent streams of refugees fleeing area communities.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels marched into the centre of Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Goma resident Chibalonza Habimana is aware of the war at the gateway to her home city and the threat posed by the M23 rebels' offensive but unlike thousands of Goma's residents who have abandoned their homes and fled the city,

Thousands of prisoners in the eastern Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) city of Goma escaped in a mass jail break on Monday as Rwanda-backed rebels said they had captured the strategic city.

Ethnic Tutsi-led M23 rebels, backed by Rwanda, have infiltrated Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo, escalating tensions and renewing fears of regional war. The conflict stems from the fallout of Rwanda's 1994 genocide,

The rebel militia M23, backed by Rwanda, captured Goma, a major city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on January 27, marking a significant escalation in the conflict. M23 had briefly seized the city in 2012 but had been dormant for years.

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The M23 rebel group, which has taken control of large parts of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in recent years, now says it has captured the key city of Goma, the largest in the area, from government forces.