The Rwanda-backed armed group M23 vowed Thursday to "continue the march of liberation" to the DR Congo capital Kinshasa, as its fighters made further advances in the mineral-rich east of the country.

FRANCE 24's Yinka Oyetade speaks to Dr Alex Vines, head of the Africa Programme at Chatham House, about the M23 offensive in eastern DR Congo. He says that the ambitions of the Rwanda-backed M23 differ now from their aims back in 2012,

DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi said on Thursday that his troops were mounting a military response as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters advanced in the east of the country.

Dozens of demonstrators have attacked several embassies in Kinshasa after an increase in fighting between M23 and Congolese forces.

Secretary General Antonio Guterres speaks separately with Congo and Rwanda presidents over phone, emphasizes protection of civilians - Anadolu Ajansı

Fighting between the Democratic Republic of Congo's military and Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has intensified in recent days, prompting the United Nations to issue a warning.

The Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday called for UN Security Council sanctions against Rwanda, saying its forces had crossed into Congolese territory in what amounted to a "declaration of war."

The UN Security Council convened its second emergency meeting in three days on Tuesday to address the escalating crisis in Goma - the regional capital of the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

KINSHASA, DRC | Xinhua | Uganda Airlines announced on Tuesday the suspension of its flights to Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where several embassies were damaged,

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.

Local sources said Kigali-backed fighters were advancing on a new front and had seized two districts in South Kivu province, after the rebel group’s capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu.