Rwanda denies sending troops into neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo, where U.N. investigators said in December thousands of Rwandan soldiers had been deployed in support of the M23 rebel group. The rebels took control of the city of Goma in the volatile, mineral-rich east on Tuesday.

By Sonia Rolley (Reuters) -When M23 rebels swept into the Congolese city of Goma this week, world powers urged them to immediately withdraw. Instead, the Rwanda-backed insurgents are intent on showing they can restore order and govern.

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.