* (Adds quotes, detail)
GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Rebels, widely believed to be backed by Rwanda, entered the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Tuesday, escalating clashes between the insurgents and U.N.-backed Congolese troops defending it.
A Reuters witness said fighters from the M23 rebel group were advancing by foot along the road to the city centre where sustained lights arms fire rang out - the first clear evidence they had entered the provincial capital of North Kivu after days of fighting along the outskirts.
The M23 rebellion has aggravated tensions between Congo and its neighbour Rwanda, which Kinshasa's government says is orchestrating the insurgency as a means of grabbing the chaotic region's mineral wealth. Rwanda denies the assertion.
"What has probably happened is that they've infiltrated the town in small numbers," Lieutenant General Chander Prakash, the Goma-based force commander for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Congo, known as MONUSCO.
He added that rebels had been pushed back by U.N. and army forces from Goma airport after a morning assault.
Streams of residents headed for the nearby border with Rwanda, saying they had been ordered to evacuate by the army. More than 50,000 people have fled refugee camps around Goma, a city on the Rwandan border with a population of 1 million. (Additional reporting by Elias Biryabarema in Kampala; Writing by Richard Valdmanis; Editing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Jon Boyle)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
