In a statement, rebels urged residents to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium.

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,

Rwandan-backed fighters closed in on eastern Congo's largest city of Goma on Sunday (January 26), forcing thousands of civilians to flee and grounding flights from the local airport as government forces battled to stop the rebels seizing the city.