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

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

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.

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

Nine of Pretoria?s soldiers were killed in the Central African state last week as rebel attacks escalated The South African National Defen

Gunfire broke out before dawn Monday in the centre of the besieged Congolese city of Goma, after the Democratic Republic of Congo accused neighbouring Rwanda of sending more troops across

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

"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.