The newly emerging M23 rebel on Tuesday claimed control of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) .

Local residents reported the appearance of M23 fighters on the streets of Goma, while the UN mission in the Central African country MONUSCO said only a small number of rebels infiltrated into the city.

The rebel claim marked its latest advance since fighting resumed last week between the M23 and the government forces known as the FARDC, which enjoys the backing of MONUSCO.

Despite the presence of 1,500 MONUSCO troops deployed in Goma, rebels have apparently got the upper hand in the clash of the past days. The M23 fighters entered the city after taking an airport to the east.

The M23 gave the government a 24-hour ultimatum on Monday to press for direct talks, which Kinshasa has rejected.

The M23 rebellion proves the biggest headache for Kinshasa since it routed the former rebel CNDP in the same region in early 2009. Many of the M23 members served in the CNDP before integrated into the FARDC. They re-emerged as rebels in April, citing the failure by the government to honor an agreement signed by both sides on March 23, 2009.

The latest confrontation reminds people of the government-CNDP clash between 2008 and 2009, which was characterized by the massive displacement and tensions between DR Congo and Rwanda.

On Monday, Rwanda accused DR Congo of "deliberately" bombing its territory, while the latter denied any cross-border attack. Rwanda also denies the charges by DR Congo that it supports the M23.

The deterioration of the situation in eastern DR Congo is a setback to the 11-member International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, which has held several rounds of talks on an international neutral force to curb the flare.

The M23-FARDC fighting has internally displaced 475,000 people and forced 75,000 others to seek refuge in neighboring Rwanda and Uganda, according to a recent report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.