The rebels, which Rwanda denies supporting, have long been funded at least in part by the illicit mineral trade.

In recent weeks, the armed conflict between the M23/AFC and the Congolese army, backed by their allies, has flared up again in the province of North Kivu and spread to the neighbouring province of South Kivu.

Civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are at increasing risk as the abusive M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), approaches Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

Aim-listed Rome Resources has advised that its on-site activities, including drilling on the Mont Agoma and Kalayi base metal projects, in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), remain unaffected by conflicts developing in the nearby city of Goma.

Gunshots rang out on Tuesday through parts of the besieged DR Congo city of Goma, where Congolese soldiers have clashed with militia fighters backed by Rwandan troops, while furious protesters

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.

The three-year insurgency by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has intensified, and the U.N. warned the violence could spill into a wider war.

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

Congolese security forces have tried to slow the advance of Rwanda-backed M23 rebels who say they have captured Goma after entering eastern Congo’s largest city

A rebel alliance claimed the capture of the biggest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich eastern region this week, pushing back against resistance from government troops backed by regional and UN intervention forces.

Rebels seized the airport of east Congo's largest city Goma on Tuesday, potentially cutting off the main route for aid to reach hundreds of thousands of displaced people, after capturing the city in an offensive that left dead bodies lying in the streets.