United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday spoke separately with the presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda about the escalating conflict in eastern Congo, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

A conflict that has raged for decades reached a flashpoint this week when rebels backed by Rwanda marched on a key Congolese city in a bid to occupy territory and exploit minerals.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called for a urgent cease-fire in the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo saying Washington was "deeply troubled" by a recent escalation in the fighting.

M23 rebels said they have advanced into Goma, a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where fierce fighting raged as Kigali-backed fighters closed in on the major city of Goma.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where fierce fighting raged as Kigali-backed fighters closed in on the major city of Goma.

The UN chief Antonio Guterres said Rwanda was backing M23 rebels as they advance towards the city of Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The UN secretary general urged Kigali to cease support of M23 rebels and withdraw M23 rebels are closing in on the mineral-rich city of Goma in eastern DRC Thousands have fled the city in the face of the M23

The United States on Tuesday called on the United Nations Security Council to consider measures to stop an offensive by Rwandan troops and M23 rebel forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as a conflict there escalates.

After 3 UN peacekeepers were killed in eastern Congo, Guterres emphasised that attacks against UN staff may constitute a war crime United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called on Sunday on Rwandan forces to withdraw from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and halt support for fighters advancing on the key Congolese city of Goma.

The Rwandan-backed M23 rebels marched into Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, on Monday in the worst escalation of a long-running conflict in more than a decade. Thank you for reading Nation.Africa Show plans U.

Gunshots rang out Sunday night in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, AFP journalists heard, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused Rwanda of sending fresh troops across the border to capture the strategic hub.

The United States urged the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to consider measures to halt an offensive by Rwandan troops and M23 rebel forces in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo as a conflict there escalates.