Advances being made by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo are "heightening the threat of a regional war," according to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The former US administration says Rwandan President Paul Kagame's government rebuffed a proposed peace incentive for a deal between DR Congo and Rwanda. It involved expanding the Lobito Corridor to the eastern DRC.

French President Emmanuel Macron is hosting Angolan President Joao Lourenço for a two-day state visit starting Thursday to strengthen political, cultural, and economic ties.

Angola urged on Tuesday, Jan 21, in New York, the members of the United Nations Security Council to maintain firm support for the Luanda Process that aims to ease political tension between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda in order to achieve peace in the region.

Rwanda has confirmed the presence of oil in Lake Kivu, bordering Uganda and DR Congo. The country said there is a possibility of finding more wells in the region.

The United States offered to extend its signature African investment project into the troubled east of the Democratic Republic of Congo as an incentive for a peace deal, but Rwanda

The DR Congo army and M23 on Friday clashed near the main city in the country's volatile east as the UN warned the raging conflict had displaced over 400,000 people this year and could spark a regional war.

The M23 armed group has seized further territory in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo and on Thursday was continuing to tighten its grip on provincial capital Goma, which is almost surrounded by fighting.

Thousands of people have fled their homes in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, as clashes between M23 rebels and government forces intensify .

Turkish President, who hosted hosting Rwanda’s Paul Kagame, reiterated the need for the warring parties to find a peaceful resolution.

The UN chief on Thursday expressed alarm over a renewed offensive by M23 rebels in recent days in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which is taking a "devastating toll" on civilians.