On the shores of Lake Kivu, Goma residents were busy filling up plastic jerrycans with lake water. Less than a week since Rwanda-backed rebels claimed control of the city, basic services like water, internet and electricity were completely cut off.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy replaced the commander of the eastern front, the most heated battlefield of the Ukraine war, after Russian forces captured another strategic town there.

Missiles are flying above civilians' homes as fighters fire heavy artillery in Goma's city centre, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spokesperson tells the BBC. "It is a very densely populated area... there are lots of victims in terms of civilians, Myriam Favier says.

Ukraine is deeply concerned about the escalation of hostilities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Rebels, supported by Rwanda, have entered the largest city in the eastern region, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Rwanda-backed M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo in one of Africa’s longest conflicts, displacing 4.5 million people and creating what the U.N. called “one of the most protracted, complex, serious humanitarian crises on Earth."

Rwanda is accused of backing M23 rebels in Congo, using Putin-style tactics to seize land while denying involvement. As Goma falls under rebel control, 400,000 people flee the chaos. The U.S., struggling to contain Russia in Ukraine,

Forty-five people have been arrested in west Africa over the past three months in operations targeting drugs trafficking and the financing of terrorism, said global police body Interpol on Thursday.

PRETORIA, January 30. /TASS/. Rebels from the Congo River Alliance, a coalition that includes the March 23 Movement (M23), are planning to advance on Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a leader of the alliance said.

This happened while you were sleeping. Here's what global agencies reported overnight, from Wednesday to Thursday. An investigation launched into stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela in India - Reuters reports that authorities in India have ordered an investigation into the panic at the Hindu festival Maha Kumbh Mela,

The scene is the result of the invasion of Goma on January 27th by M23, an armed group under the control of Rwanda, Congo’s neighbour, which abuts the city. Paul Kagame, Rwanda’s president, has escalated a crisis whose origins go back decades.

This photo gallery, curated by photo editor Patrick Sison, highlights some of the most compelling images worldwide made or published by The Associated Press in the past week.