Rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are closing in on a key city in the mineral-rich region aided by neighboring Rwanda’s army, the head of a peacekeeping mission told United Nations Security Council members during an emergency meeting on Sunday.

The UN Security Council called for the cessation of the M23 rebel offensive and demanded that external forces in eastern DRC withdraw immediately. The council's statement follows M23's claim of capturing Goma and highlights concerns over Rwanda's alleged support for M23,

Spread This NewsBy newZWire  THE United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on Sunday over deadly clashes in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo after Kinshasa withdrew its diplomats from Kigali as Rwanda-backed rebels advanced on the key city of Goma.

The Congolese army and peacekeepers are trying to stop an M23 advance on Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

Rwanda said Sunday that clashes in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where Kigali-backed fighters are locked in battle with the Congolese army, required it to maintain a "sustained defensive posture".

The three-year insurgency by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 has intensified, and the U.N. warned the violence could spill into a wider war.

Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting involving Rwanda-backed M23 rebels and Congolese forces intensifies near Goma. Accusations fly between nations, with the UN and Congolese government citing Rwanda's support of rebels.

Congo has severed diplomatic ties with Rwanda as fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and government forces rages around the key eastern city of Goma.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed they captured eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, as the United Nations described a "mass panic" among its two million people.

The Rwanda-backed rebel group M23 is battling Congolese government forces in Congo's key city of Goma, causing the international airport there to be evacuated.

The city’s capture came following a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons.