(Reuters) -Congolese troops with support from Burundi's army appeared on Friday to be holding back a push south by Rwandan-backed rebels seeking to expand their grip on eastern Congo in a weeks-old advance that has raised fears of a broader regional conflict.

Rwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s electoral body has accused the Rwandan army and M23 rebels of looting polling office facilities in Goma, a city in eastern Congo.