A boy shelters inside a burned out armored vehicle of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), in Nzulo, North Kivu, on Tuesday, as fighting between government forces and M23 rebels backed by the Rwandan Defense Force rages on in the east of the country. Photo by STR/EPA-EFE
Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The U.S. State Department called for a cease-fire in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo saying Washington was "deeply troubled" by a recent escalation in the fighting, particularly the capture of the key city of Goma by Rwandan-backed M23 rebels.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio made the comments in a phone call with Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday, urging the implementation of "an immediate cease-fire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity," according to a State Department readout of their conversation.
"Secretary Rubio conveyed the overriding goal of the United States is a durable peace that addresses security concerns and lays the foundation for a thriving regional economy."
His calls were echoed by acting U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea who told an emergency session of the Security Council on the situation Tuesday, the second in three days, that the 15-country body should look at measures to "halt the territorial advances by Rwandan troops and the M23" and demanded Kigali and Kinshasa return to the negotiating table and work out "a sustainable, peaceful solution."
She warned Rwanda's actions had opened up "a bloody new front" to the conflict in South Kivu that was making it impossible for U.N. peacekeepers deployed in the region as part of a stabilization mission (MONUSCO), three of who have been killed in the past week and many more injured, to protect civilians and facilitate humanitarian assistance.
Shea said the United States was also very concerned about human rights abuses, displacement, and other impacts on Congolese civilians "suffering the brunt of this fighting."
Civilians, including the growing number of internally displaced people and refugees in Sake, Goma, and beyond, "must be protected," she said.
Shea also condemned mob attacks on embassies and consulates in the capital Kinshasa including those of the United States, France, Belgium, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya and demanded the DRC government adhere to its obligation to protect diplomatic premises and staff.
The U.S. Embassy, which remained closed on Wednesday, issued a security alert urging all U.S. citizens to shelter in place and then safely depart the country while commercial flights were still operating, but warned of "roadblocks and protests on the road to the airport which could impact travel time and security."
Earlier, MONUSCO deputy chief Vivian van de Perre told the security council via video-link from Goma that M23 and Rwandan forces had ignored member states' appeals and attacked the city with "heavy direct and indirect fire," worsening an already dire humanitarian situation.
Calling for "urgent and coordinated international action" to halt the battle for control of the city she said the fighting had inflicted "numerous civilian casualties, further displacement, and significant trauma among the population."
Van de Pierre said more than 34,000 people were seeking shelter in already jammed displaced persons sites and MONUSCO compounds were becoming overwhelmed, with the base of the Uruguayan contingent alone taking in 1,200 DRC troops and more than a thousand civilians.
Kagame, who has been effectively in power since the end of Rwanda's civil war in 1994, said he agreed with the need for a cease-fire and to deal with the underlying roots of the war, but did not address claims by the DRC authorities that Rwandan Army troops had crossed the border in support of the M23 rebels, in violation of a U.N. Security Council resolution.
"Had a productive conversation with Secretary Rubio on the need to ensure a cease-fire in Eastern DRC and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all, and on the importance of deepening our bilateral ties based upon respect for our respective national interests," he wrote in a post on X.
"I look forward to working with the Trump Administration to create the prosperity and security that the people of our region deserve."
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also spoke with both Kagame and DRC President Felix Tshisekedi on Tuesday, placing stong "emphasis" in his call with Kagame on the need to protect civilians, according to U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric.