Gunfire rang out early on Monday across parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council's calling for an end to the offensive.

Residents in eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, woke up on Monday morning uncertain about who is in control of the city, which Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured.

Rwanda-backed rebels claim they have captured Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo. Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war" and the United Nations has described mass panic among Goma's two million residents.