By REUTERS

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Rwanda's President Paul Kagame said he agreed with the U.S. government on the need for a ceasefire in eastern Congo but gave no indication of bowing to calls for Rwandan troops and the M23 rebels they support to withdraw from Goma.
The rebels marched into Goma, the largest city in Congo's east, on Monday in the worst escalation of a long-running conflict in more than a decade, leaving hospitals overwhelmed treating patients with gunshot, mortar and shrapnel wounds.
The U.S. urged the United Nations Security Council on Tuesday to consider unspecified measures to halt the rebel offensive, which has forced tens of thousands from their homes. The council has the authority to impose sanctions.
In Goma, the capital of Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) North Kivu province, shops and houses had been looted but, after several days of intense fighting, the city was largely calm apart from some sporadic gunfire on Wednesday, residents said.

"Had a productive conversation with Secretary (of State Marco) Rubio on the need to ensure a ceasefire in Eastern DRC and address the root causes of the conflict once and for all," Kagame wrote on X on Wednesday.

Rubio told Kagame that Washington was "deeply troubled" by the escalation in the three-decade conflict, which is rooted in the long fallout from the Rwandan genocide and the struggle for control of Congo's mineral resources.
Congo and the head of U.N. peacekeeping have said Rwandan troops are present in Goma, backing up their M23 allies. Rwanda has said it is defending itself against the threat from Congolese militias, without directly commenting on whether its troops have crossed the border.  

"The Secretary urged an immediate ceasefire in the region, and for all parties to respect sovereign territorial integrity," the U.S. State Department said in a statement.
The Congolese and Rwandan army exchanged fire across their shared border on Monday, UN sources said, as the rebels tried to consolidate control of Goma, a gateway for the trade of valuable tin and tantalum ores, for the second time in 13 years.