President William Ruto has called for an emergency regional summit in the next two days to help stem escalating conflict in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where the M23 rebels claim to have taken over the key city of Goma.

Dr Ruto, who the current chair of the East African Community, said it was incumbent on regional leaders to help facilitate a peaceful solution to the conflict. In a statement on Monday, 27 January, Dr Ruto announced that presidents Félix Antoine Tshisekedi of both DRC and Rwanda's Paul Kagame will attend the forum.

"I call for the immediate and unconditional cessation of hostilities, emphasise the obligation of all parties to facilitate humanitarian access to affected populations and urge both sides to pursue peaceful means to resolve this tragic conflict," the Kenyan President said on Sunday.

He added, "As chair of the EAC, I call on the parties to the Luanda process and my brothers, President Félix Tshisekedi and President Paul Kagame, both of whom I have spoken to this evening, to heed the call for peace from the people of our region and the international community." 

On Monday, several media outlets including the BBC reported that the M23 rebels say they have taken control of Goma even as authorities in Kinshasa dismissed the claims.

Residents shared videos of M23 rebels patrolling Goma's main streets following a lightning advance against the Congolese army on Sunday that saw tens of thousands of people fleeing neighbouring towns, the BBC said. The city of Goma is home to over a million people.

The takeover of Goma by the M23 rebels comes hours after DRC's minister of foreign affairs pointed an accusing finger to Rwanda, saying Kigali had declared war by sending its soldiers to back the M23.

While Rwanda denys backing the M23, it continues to accuses authorities in the DRC of of supporting militias who are keep on toppling President Kagame.

On Sunday, the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called of Rwandan troops to leave the DRC and to stop supporting the M23 rebels. The conflict, escalating in DRC's east, has claimed multiple peacekeepers' lives.

The M23, which has intensified its control over vast areas of mineral-rich DRC has been advancing swiftly on Goma.

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