M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have taken the key eastern city of Goma in fierce fighting with government forces that sent streams of refugees fleeing area communities.

Thousands of prisoners in the eastern Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) city of Goma escaped in a mass jail break on Monday as Rwanda-backed rebels said they had captured the strategic city.

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.

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.

THE Democratic Republic of Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting intensifies between Rwanda-backed M23 insurgents and Congolese government forces in Goma. The war has left at least 13 United Nations peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead and displaced thousands of civilians.

A U.N. official says Congolese rebels and allied Rwandan forces have entered the outskirts of Goma and the airport in the key eastern city is no longer in use.

Recent clashes between government forces and M23 have forced thousands of residents to flee provincial capital Goma - Anadolu Ajansı

M23 rebels claim they now control the Congolese city of Goma—an act Congo's government described as a 'declaration of war.'

Nine United Nations peacekeepers in eastern Congo sustained injuries during fighting with the M23 armed group, the U.N. said, as the rebels close in on Goma.

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Rwandan-backed M23 rebels laying siege to eastern Congo's largest city Goma ordered defending government forces late on Sunday to disarm and surrender, saying they were preparing to enter and take control.