DRC crisis updates: 'Deaths' amid jailbreak in Goma - Reports

A mass jailbreak was taking place on Monday morning at a prison in the besieged Congolese city of Goma, hours after fighters from the armed group M23 entered the city, a security source told AFP.

The prison, which holds around 3,000 inmates, was "totally torched" following a huge jailbreak that resulted in "deaths", the security source said, without giving further details.

Fleeing prisoners could be seen in the surrounding streets, according to an AFP journalist.

East African leaders to hold emergency summit

Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the East African Community (EAC), announced late Sunday that the bloc will convene an extraordinary summit within 48 hours to tackle the growing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

Ruto confirmed that he held discussions earlier in the day with DRC President Felix Tshisekedi and Rwandan President Paul Kagame, both of whom have agreed to attend the summit.

In a statement from the presidency in Kenya, Ruto expressed concern over the deteriorating situation in the region, marked by ongoing hostilities and a worsening humanitarian crisis.

He said the conflict in Congo has seen heightened military actions and the closure of the city of Goma’s airspace, worsening conditions for affected populations.