JUSTIN KABUMBA, MONIKA PRONCZUK, WILSON MCMAKIN, CHRISTINA MALKIA and EDITH M. LEDERER
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GOMA, Congo (AP) — Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, early Monday, as the United Nations described a “mass panic” among its 2 million people and Congo’s government said the rebel advance was a “declaration of war."
The M23 rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline expired that had been imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons.