The M23 rebels announced the capture of Goma in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, as the United Nations described a "mass panic" among its two million people.

The army acknowledged Tuesday a "breakthrough" by the M23 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the armed group fighting government forces has seized a trading hub that supplies the city of Goma.

The M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the border with Rwanda in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, the provincial capital.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a “mass panic” among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.

Rwandan-backed fighters closed in on eastern Congo's largest city of Goma on Sunday (January 26), forcing thousands of civilians to flee and grounding flights from the local airport as government forces battled to stop the rebels seizing the city.

Rwanda-backed rebels have claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, as the United Nations describe a “mass panic” among its 2 million people and Congo’s government say the rebel