AP PHOTOS: Thousands flee fighting in Congo as rebels claim they've captured the key city of Goma

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

Analysts said the M23 fighters aimed to control the city of about 2 million people and perhaps other areas in the region nearly 1,000 miles from the Congolese capital.

It marks a sharp escalation in one of Africa’s longest wars, threatening to dramatically worsen a dire humanitarian crisis.

The offensive has sent thousands fleeing their homes, in addition to 1 million displaced who are already in Goma, and stretched hospitals to the limit, with hundreds of wounded coming in every day as civilians get caught in the crossfire.

This series of photos documents the events as they unfold.