Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a mass panic among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war.

The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 is battling Congolese government forces in Congo's key city of Goma, causing the international airport there to be evacuated.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it took the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.