GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Rwandan-backed rebels marched into east Congo's largest city Goma on Monday and troops from the east African neighbours exchanged fire over the border in the worst escalation of the long-running conflict for more than a decade.

The M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered the centre of Goma on Sunday night after weeks of advancing on the main city in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province.

"It was a terrible night," local sources told Fides from Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was conquered today, January 27, by the rebels of the M23 movement.

Gunfire rang out early on Monday across parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council's calling for an end to the offensive.

The AFC/M23 rebels early Monday, January 27, announced that they captured Goma, the capital of eastern DR Congo's North Kivu Province. The rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired.

Gunfire broke out before dawn Monday in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused neighbouring Rwanda of sending more troops across

Gunshots rang out Sunday night in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, AFP journalists heard, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of sending fresh troops

Congolese soldiers positioned on Mount Goma, a hill within the city, exchanged artillery fire with Rwandan troops on the other side of the border, in the town of Gisenyi, according to two U.N. sources speaking from a U.N. site between the two.

Mount Goma

M23 vows to defend Tutsi interests, particularly against ethnic Hutu militias such as the FDLR, which was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide

Named to lead Congo's election commission in 2015 by then-President Joseph Kabila, Nangaa oversaw a 2018 election to choose Kabila's successor that was riddled with accusations of fraud but resulted in Tshisekedi being named the winner despite numerous reports that his rival, Martin Fayulu, had won.