epaselect epa11856276 A Rwandan soldier inspects the weapons taken from surrendering members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) after crossing the border from Goma, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to Gisenyi, Rwanda, 27 January 2025. Refugees have been crossing into Rwanda in search of safety as soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) and M23 rebels continue to fight in the city of Goma. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has displaced 237,000 people in 2025. EPA-EFE/MOISE NIYONZIMA By Kanishka Singh
WHY IT'S IMPORTANT
The call came as 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 Congo as a conflict there escalates.
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.
KEY QUOTES
"The Secretary urged an immediate ceasefire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity," the State Department said in a statement.
"Secretary Rubio stressed the United States is deeply troubled by escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly the fall of Goma to the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group," the State Department said in a statement.
CONTEXT
Congo accused Rwanda of sending its troops over the border, while Rwanda said fighting near the border threatened its security, without directly commenting on whether its troops were in Congo.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the Congolese and Rwandan presidents on Tuesday over the escalating conflict that has killed several U.N. peacekeepers, a U.N. spokesperson said earlier.
(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)