President of the Democratic Republic of Congo said on Thursday that his troopers are fighting an insurgence by the Rwandan-backed militant group M23 which recently captured swaths of land in the east.

At least 111 bodies were collected in the streets of Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo, between Wednesday and Thursday after clashes between the army and the armed group March 23 Movement (M23), which took over the city on Monday,

DR Congo's President Félix Tshisekedi said on Thursday that his troops were mounting a military response as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters advanced in the east of the country.

Rebels led by the M23 group claim to have taken control of Goma, a key city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Members of the M23 rebel group gather to supervise Congolese potential recruits for the M23 rebel group before being taken to training centres run by M23 rebels, amid clashes between M23 rebels and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC),

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi has vowed “a vigorous and coordinated response” against a rebel alliance that has besieged swaths of the nation’s mineral-rich east and forced hundreds of local troops and foreign mercenaries to surrender.

Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi has vowed to restore government authority in the east, where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have seized control of the city of Goma and are reportedly advancing south to take more territory.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi, speaking publicly for the first time since Rwandan-backed rebels seized the eastern city of Goma, said his government was preparing a response and warned of “unpredictable consequences” for the region.

Democratic Republic of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi vowed on Wednesday (January 29) to mount a "vigorous, coordinated response" to reclaim territory seized by M23 rebels, who captured the eastern city of Goma earlier this week.