Protesters have attacked missions in the capital of the African country as anger grows about the advance of the M23 rebel group.

Many blame the United States, France and other allies for allowing neighboring Rwanda to fuel a conflict in the country’s east.

Residents of the besieged city of Goma, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, say they are gripped by fear as gunshots continue to ring out around their homes, days after rebel forces claimed they had taken over.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, condemned the serious violations of human rights, the attacks on displaced persons, and the increase in ethnic violence. Goma's hospitals are overwhelmed,

South Africa often uses its diplomatic heft to position itself as defender of the "global south" on the world stage, but the deaths of 13 of its soldiers in eastern Congo fighting have exposed an inability to project hard power in its own backyard.

Nearly 300 foreign mercenaries hired by the Democratic Republic of Congo government to counter a swift offensive by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in the east have surrendered and were on their way home on Wednesday.

DR Congo has called on international powers to pressure Rwanda, potentially via sanctions, to end the M23 offensive

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

In 2012, when M23 rebels appeared poised to seize control of a major city in eastern Congo, western countries suspended aid to put pressure on Rwanda to withdraw its support.

President William Ruto faces a delicate task as chairperson of the East African Community (EAC) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) peace talks, with experts warning his decisions could affect former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s bid to chair the African Union Commission (AUC).