(Reuters) -Congo has severed all diplomatic ties with Rwanda and South Africa said on Saturday that nine of its peacekeepers had been killed amid a surge in fighting with Rwanda-backed rebels in mineral-rich eastern Congo.
The three-year M23 insurgency in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has intensified in January with the M23 rebels seizing control of more territory than ever before, prompting the U.N. to warn of the risk of a broader regional war.
Congo and its allies said on Saturday they had pushed back M23 fighters, who were advancing on the provincial capital Goma. The sound of nearby heavy bombardment rocked the city in the early hours of Saturday.
Congo, the U.N. and others accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the conflict with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this, but Congo's army said on Saturday that Rwandan snipers were responsible for the killing of North Kivu's military governor on the front line this week.
Congo has recalled its diplomats from Rwanda and asked the Rwandan authorities to cease diplomatic and consular activities in the Congolese capital within 48 hours, according to a letter from the foreign ministry to the Rwandan embassy dated Jan. 24.
A representative of the ministry on Saturday said the letter represented "the most severe form of diplomatic breakdown."
The Rwandan authorities could not immediately be reached for comment due to the late hour.
In a sign of heightened international concern, the U.N. Security Council will meet on Sunday to discuss the crisis, diplomats said. It had earlier planned to meet on Monday.
PEACEKEEPER CASUALTIES
The fierce fighting in recent days killed two South Africans deployed with the U.N. peacekeeping mission and seven others in the Southern African regional bloc's force in Congo, the South African National Defence Force said on Saturday.
"The members put up a brave fight to prevent the rebels from proceeding to Goma as was their intention," it said.
Congolese troops and allied forces have pushed back the rebels, but fighting is ongoing across the conflict zone, Congo's army spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge said at a press briefing, adding that an advance in neighbouring South Kivu province had also been halted.
The situation appeared calm in Goma during the day on Saturday with people tentatively going about their business amid a heavy police presence, Reuters reporters said.
The United Nations said it had started temporarily relocating its non-essential staff from Goma due to the deteriorating security situation.
The escalation and looming threat to Goma, home to over 1 million people, have prompted renewed calls for Rwanda to disengage.
"Rwanda must cease its support for the M23 and withdraw," the European Union said in a statement on Saturday.
The M23 briefly managed to take over Goma during a previous rebellion in 2012, prompting international donors to cut aid to Rwanda. Even then, the rebels did not hold as much ground as they do now.
The insecurity has also deepened eastern provinces' already dire humanitarian situation with 400,000 more people forced to flee their homes this year alone, according to the U.N. refugee agency.
"The situation facing Goma's civilians is becoming increasingly perilous and the humanitarian needs are enormous," Human Rights Watch said on Saturday.