France tells Rwanda to 'immediately' leave DR Congo

PARIS, France

France on Thursday called on Rwandan forces and Kigali-backed M23 rebels to withdraw from the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

Rwandan army officers lead surrendered members of the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) into Rwanda

It comes days after M23 claimed control over the key eastern Congolese city of Goma.

Paris reiterated its condemnation of the M23 offensive in Congo.

"The sovereignty and territorial integrity of [Congo] are not negotiable," French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Cristophe Lemoine said.

"The M23 must immediately withdraw from the territories it has taken control of. Rwandan forces must urgently leave the territory of the DRC," he said.

He said that Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot had travelled to Rwanda's capital, Kigali, after having visited Kinshasa.

The spokesperson said that Paris supported diplomatic efforts by Angola and Kenya to mediate peace talks between Congo and Rwanda.

The minister's visit comes after protesters stormed the French embassy and other diplomatic missions in Congo's capital.

The M23 group pledged that it would continue its offensive in Congo after capturing the North Kivu provincial capital of Goma.

"We will continue the march of liberation all the way to Kinshasa," said Corneille Nangaa, head of a coalition of groups including M23, according to the AFP news agency and Rwandan media.

"We are in Goma and we will not leave... for as long as the questions for which we took up arms have not been answered," he said.

The statement comes after Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi vowed a "vigorous and coordinated response" against M23 and Rwandan forces.

Also on Thursday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame said that Kigali was ready for "confrontation" with South Africa over Pretoria's condemnation of the M23 offensive.

13 South African soldiers, who are present in eastern Congo as part of a UN peacekeeping, have been killed since the escalation of hostilities last week.