Intensifying hostilities in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo involving the non-state armed group M23 have caused further mass displacement in the mineral-rich region, with fears that the regional capital Goma could come under attack,

Panic spread in Goma, the capital of DR Congo's North Kivu Province, on Thursday, January 23, with M23 rebels reportedly planning to march on the key city after recently gaining more ground against the Congolese army.

Authorities in eastern Congo say M23 rebels have seized the town of Minova, a key supply route for the provincial capital, Goma.

UNHCR is gravely concerned about the safety and security of civilians and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as conflict further intensifies across South and North Kivu Provinces.

Many Congolese see the rebel advance as an invasion of their country by a foreign power in an attempt to seize land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals.

The Congolese army acknowledged on 21 January the advance of M23 rebels in South Kivu province. Backed by Rwanda’s army, the rebels have captured a key town and are trying to isolate Goma as the Angola-led mediation efforts stall.

GOMA, DR Congo, Jan. 24 (Xinhua) -- Violent clashes have been raging since Friday morning between the government troops and the March 23 Movement (M23) rebels in the town of Sake and its surroundings in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Recent clashes between government forces and M23 have forced thousands of residents to flee provincial capital Goma - Anadolu Ajansı

Authorities say the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries sustained in fighting on the front line as M23 rebels close in on Goma.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed by the worsening violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has already displaced 237,000 people this year.

The United Nations is gravely concerned about the safety and security of civilians and internally displaced people in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).The concerns come as conflict further intensifies across South and North Kivu Provinces,