Democratic Republic of Congo President Félix Tshisekedi said on Wednesday night that the army was mounting a “vigorous” military response as Rwanda-backed M23 fighters advance in the east of the country.
The rebels have captured large swathes of the mineral-rich region in recent weeks, including most of the key city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province.
Kinshasa, the United Nations, the United States, and other Western powers said Rwandan forces backed up the M23 in Goma.
Rwanda has denied this.
Addressing the nation on television for the first time since the M23 entered the city, Tshisekedi said a “vigorous and coordinated response against these terrorists and their sponsors is underway”.
He also condemned the “inaction” of the international community in the face of what he described as an “unprecedented worsening of the security situation”.
The United Nations Security Council met for the second time in three days on Tuesday to discuss the escalating crisis in the eastern DRC, calling for the M23 to halt its offensive.
Addressing the Council, the DRC’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Therese Kayikwamba Wagner, demanded action.
This includes the withdrawal of “random troops” from Congolese territory and sanctions against the Rwandan defence force.
Several countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, and France have condemned Rwanda for the rebel advance.
It was being reported that earlier on Wednesday, M23 fighters advanced on a new front, seizing two districts in South Kivu.
The DRC president also accused Rwanda of actions that threaten the stability of the region.
The mineral-rich eastern DRC has been a tinderbox for decades involving scores of armed groups that can be partly traced back to the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The United Nations has warned that the M23 offensive risks spiralling into a regional war.
Tshisekedi was conspicuously absent from an emergency virtual summit of the East African bloc (EAC) on Wednesday, hosted by Kenya, which was attended by Rwandan President Paul Kagame.
In a statement after the meeting, the regional grouping’s heads of state called for an immediate ceasefire and “a peaceful settlement of the conflict”.
They also “strongly urged” Kinshasa to “directly engage with all stakeholders, including the M23 and other armed groups that have grievances”.
The East African leaders said they plan to hold a joint summit on the crisis with leaders from southern Africa in the coming days.
Angola, which mediated a failed attempt at talks last month before the M23 launched its offensive, called for the Congolese and Rwandan leaders to meet urgently in Luanda.
The Angolan presidency said the DRC president was in the Angolan capital on Wednesday for talks about next steps.
In a ratcheting up of tensions in the region, the Rwandan president said his country was ready for a confrontation with South Africa.
This follows a claim by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the M23 and Rwandan forces were responsible for the deaths of 13 South African peacekeepers stationed in the eastern DRC.
