Bodies are lying on the streets. Medical staff in overwhelmed hospitals are treating hundreds of wounded civilians against the backdrop of gunfire and mortar fire.

By Yassin Kombi and Sonia Rolley GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Rebels seized the airport of east Congo's largest city Goma on Tuesday, potentially cutting off the main route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of displaced people,

The rebels, which Rwanda denies supporting, have long been funded at least in part by the illicit mineral trade.

Democratic Republic of Congo's M23 rebel group has gained control of the airport in the eastern city of Goma, diplomatic and security sources told Reuters.

There are growing international calls for peace talks to end the escalation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fate of the economic and trading hub Goma is still unclear. UN officials have said the situation is chaotic with fighting continuing in parts of the city.

Once again, the eastern Congolese city of Goma has fallen to the Rwanda-backed M23 rebel group. The mayhem is certainly real; the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) displacement crisis is second only to Sudan’s,

Since the M23 rebels and Rwandan soldiers launched a large-scale offensive in the key eastern DRC city of Goma on 23 January, the Congolese army (FARDC) and its partners have struggled to halt their advance.

Gunshots rang out on Tuesday through parts of the besieged DR Congo city of Goma, where Congolese soldiers have clashed with militia fighters backed by Rwandan troops, while furious protesters

By Yassin Kombi and Sonia Rolley GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Dead bodies lay in the streets, gunfire rang out and hospitals were overwhelmed in east Congo's largest city Goma where M23 rebels backed by Rwanda faced pockets of resistance on Tuesday from army and pro-government militias.

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels capture Goma, East Congo, amid escalating conflict and humanitarian crisis. U.N. reports violence and looting.