It remained unclear how much of Goma is controlled by the rebels, who marched into eastern Congo’s strategic city early Monday to both fear and cheers among residents. But more than 2 million of its civilian residents,

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

A rebel alliance spearheaded by the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 militia said it had seized the lakeside city of more than 2 million people.