DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the region bordering Rwanda.

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

Rebels appear to be edging closer to taking control of the key city of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo following reports that they had captured its airport. The Congolese government has insisted that it is still in charge as fighting in parts of the city continues.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

Rwanda-backed fighters advanced on a second front in their lightning offensive across eastern DR Congo on Wednesday after seizing control of most of the key city of Goma during heavy

There are growing international calls for peace talks to end the escalation of violence in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The fate of the economic and trading hub Goma is still unclear.

Rwanda-backed fighters controlled most of the besieged DR Congo city of Goma on Wednesday as residents slowly emerged from their homes after days of deadly fighting in the key mineral