Five civilians have been killed and 35 others severely wounded in the Rwandan town of Rubavu, which lies just over the border from Goma, the Rwandan army has said. Army spokesperson Brig Gen Ronald Rwivanda told the media the injured are being treated in different hospitals.

Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo left six United Nations peacekeepers dead, UN officials said Saturday.

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

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.

M23 rebels claim they now control the Congolese city of Goma—an act Congo's government described as a 'declaration of war.'

Kenyan President William Ruto, who chairs the East African Community (EAC), said he would convene a meeting of regional leaders over the escalating security crisis in eastern DR Congo, where rebels threatened to occupy the city of Goma.

M23 Rebels Advance in Eastern DR Congo, Seize Goma's Trading Hub Minova | Firstpost Africa | N18G The Rawanda-backed M23 rebel forces have taken control of a key town in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

A United Nations official says two U.N. peacekeepers from South Africa have been killed fighting M23 rebels in eastern Congo

Civilians in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo are at increasing risk as the abusive M23 armed group, supported by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), approaches Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

"It was a terrible night," local sources told Fides from Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo, which was conquered today, January 27, by the rebels of the M23 movement.

South Africa's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Mathu Joyini, has stated that South Africa will continue to contribute to promoting peace and stability in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo and to the continent's overall peacekeeping efforts.