Heavy artillery fire and gunshots echoed through the besieged Congolese city of Goma on Monday as DR Congo forces battled militia fighters and Rwandan troops, while Kigali said five civilians were killed across the Rwandan border.

There were conflicting accounts over how much of Goma remained under Congolese control after the M23 armed group and Rwandan soldiers entered the city’s centre on Sunday night.

Amid mounting international concern, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot expressed his country’s solidarity with the Democratic Republic of Congo “as Goma prepares to fall”.

The latest fighting has intensified a humanitarian crisis, displacing more than 400,000 people since the start of the year, and raised fears of sparking a regional war, the UN has warned.