Russia is concerned about the escalation of the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of the negotiation process, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday.
"The Russian Foreign Ministry expresses concern over the current escalation of the situation in the east of the DRC, the victims of which are first and foremost the civilian population. Moscow calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the resumption of the negotiation process," the ministry said in a statement, adding that no Russian citizens had been harmed during the events.
On Monday, the M23 rebel group announced the capture of Goma, the administrative center of the DRC's North Kivu province.
Later on Monday, the DRC government confirmed that the Rwandan army is present in Goma, and called on the population to remain calm and to mobilize forces.