Thousands of Congolese have fled their homes as soldiers allegedly surrendered in ongoing insurgency against M23 rebels in DR Congo.
A state-owned TV in Rwanda reported that the DR Congo soldiers surrendered to Rwandan forces following fierce clashes with the M23 rebel movement in DR Congo’s eastern North Kivu province.
The soldiers have been fleeing across the border to the Rwandan town of Rubavu, the report claimed in a video posted on X, external.
Rwandan security forces searched them and ordered them to surrender their weapons, it added.
There is no independent confirmation of the report.
Meanwhile, the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have taken over much of the city of Goma in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, although some gunfire can still be heard.
There are reports of Congolese and Rwandan troops firing at each other across the border. Columns of M23 rebels have entered the city.
Some Congolese troops have followed a rebel order to hand over their weapons to UN peacekeepers.
In less than a month the rebel advance has displaced more than 400,000 civilians.
On Sunday at a UN Security Council meeting, the Congolese government said Rwanda had declared war by sending its troops over the border.
The UN chief, António Guterres, called on Rwandan troops to leave Congolese territory.
There are also reports of a mass escape from a prison in Goma, with some videos being shared online appearing to show prisoners fleeing.
A security source told the AFP news agency that the prison holding 3,000 inmates was “totally torched” and that the jailbreak had resulted in deaths.
One of the videos shared online appears to show people running from a building on fire. There are shouts from people and gunshots can be heard.
There have reports of deaths from the incident.
Many parts of Goma have been cut off from power and many areas of the city amid the entry of the rebels. BBC