Rwanda-backed rebels were expanding their presence in eastern Congo after capturing Goma, the region's major city, the U.N. said Friday, also expressing concerns over executions it learned were carried out by the rebels in recent days following a major escalation of their yearslong rebellion.
Congolese forces, meanwhile, repelled the rebels in their offensive towards South Kivu's provincial capital of Bakuvu on Thursday, residents and local officials said. The M23 rebel group has captured several towns after seizing neighboring Goma, a humanitarian hub critical for many of the 6 million people displaced by the conflict. They have said they will march to Congo's capital, Kinshasa, which is nearly 1,000 miles (around 1,600 kilometers) away.
