Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo claimed Friday to have seized a second airport in the region following a days-long advance, as the U.N. warned that the recent escalation of fighting with government forces has left 350,

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.

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.