A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

Vladimir Putin grabbed Donbas, an eastern region of Ukraine, and pretended he had not. As a figleaf he used local separatist forces, which Russia armed, supplied and directed. These forces, he claimed,

Refugees, surrendering Congolese soldiers and stranded truckers thronged the Rwandan border on Tuesday, hoping to reach safety after rebels captured the nearby Congolese city of Goma and spurred them to flee.

Anti-Rwandan protests broke out in Kinshasa Tuesday morning, as rebels battled Congolese forces in the key eastern city of Goma.

Rwandan diplomats say their army is not deployed in the DRC, but if it was it would be to protect the Congolese Tutsi community and their own borders against the rebel Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda. The FDLR includes combatants who participated in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Desperation, looting and bodies in the streets are being reported in Goma, after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels claimed to have captured the Congolese city. It's the latest move after years of fighting in the country's mineral-rich east.

Residents reported gunfire overnight in Goma, a city of 2 million people which the rebels claimed to have captured on Monday. Explosions and gunfire were heard near the now-shut Goma airport.

LIVE: All-Out War? Rwanda-Backed Rebels Capture DRC's Goma, Sparking Tensions | Firstpost Africa Africa's two mineral-rich neighbours- the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda are locked in a fierce conflict,

The demonstrators targeted Western and African countries they accuse of complicity in Kigali's support of M23 rebels, who have overrun the eastern provincial capital Goma

The Kenyan, Ugandan, Rwandan, South African and US embassies in Congolese capital Kinshasa came under attack by rioters protesting the seizure of Goma City by Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, casting a global spotlight on a protracted conflict that has spiralled out of control in recent days.

Retired Lieutenant General Mojo Motau said the deaths of 13 soldiers have put the country’s reputation and security at risk