A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

The evacuees were transported by National Air Force aircraft and landed in Luanda in the early hours of Monday.

The United Nations, African Union and East African Community condemned the capture of the city, putting Rwanda in the spotlight.

Rwanda has confirmed the presence of oil in Lake Kivu, bordering Uganda and DR Congo. The country said there is a possibility of finding more wells in the region.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where fierce fighting raged as Kigali-backed fighters closed in on the major city of Goma.

An armed group backed by Rwandan troops took control of the airport in the besieged DR Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, a security source said, dealing a major blow to Congolese forces and putting the eastern regional capital on the brink of falling .

Many Congolese see the rebel advance as an invasion of their country by a foreign power in an attempt to seize land and Congo’s valuable rare minerals.

An armed group backed by Rwandan troops took control of the airport in the besieged DR Congo city of Goma on Tuesday, a security source said, dealing a major blow to Congolese forces and putting the regional capital on the brink of falling .

Congolese rebels and allied Rwandan troops claimed on Monday to have captured the mineral-rich city of Goma, as thousands fled fighting that killed at least 13 peacekeepers over the weekend...

M23 rebels have made rapid advances in the latest bout of conflict that has long-dogged the mineral-rich east.

Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya said Kinshasa wanted to prevent "carnage," with Rwanda's forces in the east of the country. It comes after the M23 group claimed to have taken the city of Goma.