Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo맥스카지노�s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a 맥스카지노�mass panic맥스카지노� among its 2 million people and Congo맥스카지노�s government said the rebel advance was a 맥스카지노�declaration of war.맥스카지노�The M23 rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired.In a statement, the rebels urged residents of Goma to remain calm and for members of the Congolese military to assemble at the central stadium.The M23 rebels맥스카지노� offensive in the heart of the mineral-rich region threatens to dramatically worsen one of Africa맥스카지노�s longest wars and further displace civilians. According to a United Nations report, over a third of the population of North Kivu province, where Goma is located, are currently displaced and the capture of Goma will likely exacerbate the situation.Late Sunday night, U.N. peacekeepers began to process members of the military who had begun to surrender on the outskirts of the city.Congolese government spokesman Patrick Muyaya made a statement in a video posted on X calling for the protection of civilians and saying that the country is 맥스카지노�in a war situation where the news is changing.맥스카지노�Late Sunday, the U.N.맥스카지노�s special representative for Congo told an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council that with the airport shut down and roads blocked in the vast region맥스카지노�s humanitarian and security hub, 맥스카지노�we are trapped."Late Saturday, Congo broke off relations with Rwanda, which has denied backing the M23 despite evidence collected by U.N. experts and others. The surge of violence has killed at least 13 peacekeepers over the past week. And Congolese were again on the run.The M23 has made significant territorial gains along Congo's border with Rwanda in recent weeks, after months of regional attempts to make peace failed. On Sunday night, the rebels called on Congo's army to surrender their arms and present themselves at a local stadium by 3 a.m. or they would take the city.The Uruguayan army, which is in Goma serving with the U.N. peacekeeping mission, said in a statement on X late Sunday that some Congolese soldiers have laid down their weapons.맥스카지노�More than a hundred FARDC soldiers are sheltered in the facilities of the 'Siempre Presente' base awaiting the (Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) process,맥스카지노� the statement said.In photos shared with the statement, armed men are seen registering with the peacekeepers in a mix of military uniforms and civilian clothing.The U.N. special representative, Bintou Keita, told the Security Council that despite U.N. peacekeepers' support for the Congolese armed forces, M23 and Rwandan forces entered the Munigi neighborhood on Goma's outskirts, "causing mass panic." Munigi is 9 kilometers (5 miles) from the city.Keita said M23 fighters were advancing and using residents 맥스카지노�as human shields맥스카지노� as others fled for their lives.맥스카지노�M23 has declared the airspace over Goma closed,맥스카지노� she added. "In other words, we are trapped.맥스카지노� She said the U.N. was temporarily relocating nonessential personnel from the city.Congo맥스카지노�s foreign minister, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, told the Security Council that Rwanda was committing 맥스카지노�a frontal aggression, a declaration of war which no longer hides itself behind diplomatic maneuvers.맥스카지노�Rwanda맥스카지노�s ambassador to the U.N., Ernest Rwamucyo, did not confirm or deny Congo맥스카지노�s claims. He blamed Congo맥스카지노�s government, saying the crisis could have been averted if it had 맥스카지노�demonstrated a genuine commitment to peace.맥스카지노�The United States and France called for a ceasefire and appealed to Rwanda to withdraw its support to M23, with acting U.S. Ambassador Dorothy Shea warning that the U.S. would 맥스카지노�consider all the tools at its disposal" to hold accountable those responsible for sustaining the armed conflict.In the past 48 hours, two U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa and one from Uruguay were killed and 11 others were injured and hospitalized, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres맥스카지노� spokesman said ahead of the Security Council meeting.The U.N. chief reiterated his 맥스카지노�strongest condemnation맥스카지노� of the M23 offensive 맥스카지노�with the support of the Rwanda Defense Forces맥스카지노� and called on the rebel group to immediately halt all hostile action and withdraw, spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Congo cuts ties with RwandaCongo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing M23, which is mainly made up of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago. It's one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich region, where a long-running conflict has created one of the world맥스카지노�s largest humanitarian crises.Rwanda맥스카지노�s government denies backing the rebels, but last year acknowledged that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. U.N. experts estimate up to 4,000 Rwandan forces are in Congo.Congo's foreign ministry said late Saturday it was severing diplomatic ties with Rwanda and pulling all diplomatic staff from the country 맥스카지노�with immediate effect.맥스카지노�Rwandan Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe told The Associated Press on Sunday that the decision to cut ties was a unilateral move by Congo.맥스카지노�For us, we took appropriate measures to evacuate our remaining diplomat in Kinshasa, who was under permanent threat by Congolese officials," Nduhungirehe said.The M23 took Goma once before in 2012, withdrawing after considerable international pressure was put on Rwanda.Civilians flee the rebel advanceOn Sunday morning, heavy gunfire resonated across Goma, a few kilometers (miles) from the front line. Scores of children and adults left the Kanyaruchinya camp, one of the largest in eastern Congo for displaced people, near the Rwandan border.맥스카지노�We are fleeing because we saw soldiers on the border with Rwanda throwing bombs and shooting,맥스카지노� said Safi Shangwe, who was heading into the city.Some of the displaced worried they would not be safe in Goma, either. 맥스카지노�I heard that there are bombs in Goma, too, so now we don맥스카지노�t know where to go,맥스카지노� said Adele Shimiye.Hundreds of people attempted to flee to Rwanda. Migration officers at a border crossing east of Goma carefully checked travel documents.맥스카지노�I am crossing to the other side to see if we will have a place of refuge because, for the moment, security in the city is not guaranteed," Goma resident Muahadi Amani told the AP.U.N. deputy humanitarian chief Joyce Msuya said the situation was rapidly deteriorating. 맥스카지노�If hostilities spill into Goma 맥스카지노� a densely populated urban center 맥스카지노� the impact on civilians could be devastating,맥스카지노� she said.Congo맥스카지노�s army has said it was fending off the M23 offensive with the help of allied forces, including U.N. peacekeepers and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission.In addition to the two South African peacekeepers, seven South African troops with SAMIDIRC have been killed in recent days, South Africa맥스카지노�s defense ministry said.Since 2021, Congo맥스카지노�s government and allied forces 맥스카지노� including the 14,000-strong U.N. mission 맥스카지노� have been keeping M23 away from Goma.Goma resident Bahati Jackson맥스카지노�s family has been hearing gunfire and remembers running from M23맥스카지노�s seizure of the city in 2012. But this time, they맥스카지노�re staying.맥스카지노�If we맥스카지노�re going to die, it맥스카지노�s better to die here,맥스카지노� Jackson said.___Pronczuk reported from Dakar, Senegal, and Lederer reported from New York. Associated Press writer Ignatius Ssuuna in Kigali, Rwanda contributed to this report.