(Reuters) -Chaotic scenes unfolded in the eastern Congo city of Bukavu on Saturday after M23 rebels reached its outskirts, while Congo's prime minister declined to comment on a threat by Uganda's army chief that raised fears of a spiral into a wider regional war.

M23 now controls nearly all of North Kivu and the province’s vast mineral wealth—including tin (cassiterite), tantalum (coltan), tungsten (wolframite), and gold, which are critical for global electronics and industrial production.

Residents and business owners in eastern Congo’s second largest city are sitting in wait after a night of loud gunfire marking the ongoing advance of Rwanda-backed rebels