Rwandan-backed M23 rebels fighting in eastern Congo seized two towns on their march towards a provincial capital, residents and the rebels said on Friday, as the president seeks international support to end the crisis.

The rebels, who captured Goma last month, are advancing south toward Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu. If they succeed, it would mark a major territorial gain and further weaken Kinshasa's control in the east.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured a strategic airport in the Democratic Republic of Congo, expanding their stranglehold over the country’s mineral-rich eastern region.