The Council met on Tuesday for the second time in three days to discuss the escalating crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting Sunday to discuss the escalation of violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as M23 forces supported by Rwanda advance towards

France and Britain have called on Rwanda to address accusations of supporting the M23 rebels in recent conflicts near Goma, in eastern Congo. At a U.N. Security Council meeting, both countries urged Rwanda to withdraw its troops from Congo territory amid escalating tensions.

United Nations chief Antonio Guterres on Sunday urged Rwanda to withdraw its forces from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where fierce fighting raged as Kigali-backed fighters closed in on the major city of Goma.

M23 insurgency has intensified, with the Rwanda-backed rebels seizing control of more territory than ever before, prompting the U.N. to warn of the risk of a broader war. South Africa said nine of its peacekeepers were killed in fighting.

Rwanda-backed rebels have entered the outskirts of eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, causing what the United Nations called “mass panic” among its 2 million people and leading Congo’s government to call it a “declaration of war.

Congo has severed all diplomatic ties with Rwanda ... The United Nations said it had started temporarily relocating its non-essential staff from Goma due to the deteriorating security situation.

The United Nations Security mbbbmlengthy statement. The council urged Rwanda and the DRC to return to talks to achieve peace and address issues related to the presence of Rwanda Defence Forces in the eastern Congo and Congolese support for the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).

The call came as the US urged the UN Security Council to consider measures to halt an offensive by Rwandan troops

Refugees, surrendering Congolese soldiers and stranded truckers thronged the Rwandan border on Tuesday, hoping to reach safety after rebels captured the nearby Congolese city of Goma and spurred them to flee.

The president of crisis-hit Democratic Republic of Congo was set to meet his Rwandan counterpart at an emergency summit on Wednesday, as fighters back