UN Security Council convenes extraordinary meeting on escalating clashes in Congo.
(VOVWORLD) - Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Congo has left at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead, United Nations and army officials said Saturday.
 M23 fighters in Masisi, Democratic Republic of Congo. (Photo: AFP/VNA) |
The UN Security Council convened an extraordinary meeting on the escalating violence in Congo to Sunday morning. Congo requested the meeting, which had originally been scheduled for Monday.
M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the eastern city of Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
Also on Saturday, the spokesperson for the army of the Democratic Republic of Congo, General Sylvain Ekenge, accused 'Rwanda is determined to seize the city of Goma.' Earlier, Congo announced that it had severed diplomatic relations with Rwanda.