Panic swept through Bukavu on Saturday as residents and soldiers fled by the thousands, scrambling to escape the looming advance of the Rwandan-backed rebels. View on euronews

The armed group, backed by several thousand Rwandan soldiers, has taken the capital of South Kivu province. It continues to advance, despite calls for a ceasefire from the African Union and threats of sanctions.

The M23 rebels on Tuesday attacked all the main Congolese army positions on the road to Butembo, a city of 1,50,000 people, and the situation was rapidly deteriorating, said Auguste Kombi, a civil society leader in Kitsombiro,