The United Nations meanwhile said the battle for the key city of Goma, which the M23 and Rwandan troops seized last week, had left at least 2,900 people dead - far higher than the previous death toll of 900.

The M23 and Rwandan forces on Wednesday launched a new offensive in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, seizing a mining town in South Kivu province, as they resumed their advance

Malawi's President Lazarus Chakwera has ordered the military to begin preparing to withdraw from their peacekeeping mission in the volatile eastern Democratic of Congo. The Malawian troops are part of the southern African regional bloc's military mission (SAMIDRC) deployed to DR Congo to help tackle armed groups.