DR Congo says 773 dead in weeklong fighting as military tries to repel rebels

Residents walk by charred vehicles in Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)

At least 773 people were killed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo’s largest city of Goma and its vicinity this week amid fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels who captured the city in a major escalation of a decadelong conflict, Congolese authorities said on Saturday.

The rebels’ advance into other areas was slowed by a weakened military that recovered some villages from them.