Rwanda has economic as well as security interests. Kigali denies UN evidence that it smuggles vast amounts of gold and other metals out of eastern DR Congo and sells them as its own. But access to DR Congo's mineral wealth has been a driver of conflict in the region for decades.

The rebel leader whose fighters have captured Goma, the biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, has vowed to continue their offensive all the way to the capital, Kinshasa. Corneille Nangaa, who heads an alliance of rebel groups that includes the M23, said their ultimate aim was to topple President Félix Tshisekedi's government.

A rebel alliance claimed the capture of the biggest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich eastern region this week, pushing back against resistance from government troops backed by regional and UN intervention forces.