Rubio tells Rwandan president US wants ceasefire in Congo

WASHINGTON: United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday that Washington was “deeply troubled” by escalation in the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly the fall of the city of Goma to Rwandan-backed rebels.

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.

Read more: Congo: M23 rebels take control of Goma airport, embassies attacked

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.