(Reuters) -Rwandan-backed M23 rebels entered eastern Democratic Republic of Congo's second-largest city Bukavu on Friday, a rebel leader told Reuters, as residents reported seeing the militants in the streets of a northern district.

M23 fighters and Rwandan troops entered the DR Congo provincial capital of Bukavu on Friday, security and humanitarian sources said. M23 fighters met little resistance as they seized the region's main airport while headed for Bukavu,

The Rwandan-backed rebels' entry into Bukavu follows their capture of Goma, defying international calls for a ceasefire.