Gunfire rang out early on Monday across parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council's calling for an end to the offensive.

Rwanda-backed rebels claim they have captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war" and the United Nations has described mass panic among Goma's two million residents.