Congolese rebels and allied Rwandan troops claimed on Monday to have captured the mineral-rich city of Goma, as thousands fled fighting that killed at least 13 peacekeepers over the weekend.

The M23 rebel group has made significant territorial gains along the Rwandan border in recent weeks now claiming Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The offensive has drawn condemnation from Western nations, including Britain and France, who have called on Rwanda to withdraw support for the rebel group. Kigali has denied being behind the rebellion.

When did the current conflict start?

The conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has roots stretching back decades and a tangled history of rebel groups and foreign interventions. As many as six million people may have died in the past 30 years and the country has one of the largest displaced populations in the world.

Conflict erupted after the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when ethnic Hutu extremists killed up to 800,000 minority ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.