'No one will take Goma': E.Africa commander in DR Congo

The commander of the East African Community's military force in the Democratic Republic of Congo vowed to protect Goma, a key eastern city threatened by advancing M23 rebels.

About 100 Kenyan troops arrived in the city over the weekend, as part of a new East African Community (EAC) military operation aiming to stabilise eastern DRC.

Some 60 more Kenyan soldiers deployed, journalists said, with M23 rebels just several dozen kilometres from the city.

East African leaders agreed to establish a military force for eastern DRC in April, but its intended size and scope remain unclear.

"No one will take Goma," said Kenyan General Jeff Nyagah, the commander of the seven-nation bloc's military force in the volatile east of the country.

"We are here to protect the city and the airport," he added at a news conference.

Nyagah told reporters that the EAC force was "an intervention force" rather than a peacekeeping force.

But he added that finding a political solution to the crisis and disarming rebels would take priority over fighting.

"Those who fail or refuse to voluntarily disarm, then we'll go for them," the general said. "We have no doubt about that in our mind."

The deployment of troops from the EAC bloc comes as M23 rebels have surged across the DRC's North Kivu province, capturing swathes of territory in recent weeks.

The rebel group announced that it had captured Kibumba, a settlement about 20 kilometres from Goma.