Paris has condemned an attack on its embassy in the Democratic Republic of Congo's capital, Kinshasa. The attack came amid demonstrations against the escalating conflict in the country's east.

France's foreign minister on Monday said an offensive by Rwanda-backed armed group M23 on the Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma "must stop".

M23 militia fighters, alongside Rwandan troops, are pushing into the eastern DR Congo city of Goma, capital of the mineral-rich North Kivu province.

Fleeing prisoners streamed from the torched jail as Rwanda-backed rebels claim they have captured the strategic city

The Rwanda Defense Force reported escorting hundreds of "Romanian mercenaries" out of the Democratic Republic of the Congo after seizing Goma.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for a urgent cease-fire in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo saying Washington was "deeply troubled" by a recent escalation in the fighting.

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.

Rioters stormed embassies and started fires in Democratic Republic of Congo's capital Kinshasa, drawing tear gas from police, in an eruption of protests over a Rwandan-backed rebel offensive in the east.

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...