Gunfire rang out across parts of Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), hours after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels said they had seized it despite the United Nations Security Council calling for an end to the offensive.

M23 fighters are said to be consolidating their hold over Goma – raising fears that other neighbouring countries could be drawn into a wider war. Dozens of Romanian mercenaries who’d been hired by Congo to strengthen their defences have now fled across the border into Rwanda.

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed to restore government authority in the east, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized control of the city of Goma and are reportedly advancing south to take more territory.