The Democratic Republic of Congo's foreign minister on Friday accused Rwanda of illegally occupying part of its territory, after the M23 rebel group captured the eastern Congolese city of Goma.

The Rwandan-backed armed group M23 moved south as it closed in on a key military airport in DR Congo on Friday, a day after pledging to take the capital Kinshasa and as international criticism mounted.

Kagame's comments clearly suggested that he wants South Africa to back off from DR Congo, where its military involvement dates back to the late 1990s. It first joined the UN's peacekeeping mission, Monusco, following the end of the racist system of apartheid in 1994.

Nigerian international superstar Tems has canceled her upcoming concert in Rwanda amidst the current tension between the country and South Africa over the crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The singer made this announcement on her X account on January 30 in a move that has been praised by both South African and DRC fans.

Rwanda is illegally occupying the Democratic Republic of Congo and attempting to orchestrate regime change, the country's foreign minister has told the BBC. Thérèse Kayikwamba Wagner said this followed decades of impunity and failure to hold Rwandan President Paul Kagame accountable for violating international law.

The escalating violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo has drawn the attention of the United Kingdom, which is now threatening to withhold aid from Rwanda. ・The UK threatens to withhold funding from Rwanda due to its involvement in the escalating conflict in DRC ・Rwanda receives over $1 billion in global aid annually from the UK ・British