WASHINGTON, Jan 28 (Reuters) – U.S. 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.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT

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.

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.

KEY QUOTES

“The Secretary urged an immediate ceasefire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity,” the State Department said in a statement.

“Secretary Rubio stressed the United States is deeply troubled by escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern DRC, particularly the fall of Goma to the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group,” the State Department said in a statement.

CONTEXT

Congo accused Rwanda of sending its troops over the border, while Rwanda said fighting near the border threatened its security, without directly commenting on whether its troops were in Congo.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke to the Congolese and Rwandan presidents on Tuesday over the escalating conflict that has killed several U.N. peacekeepers, a U.N. spokesperson said earlier.

(Reporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)