Conditions in North and South Kivu have 'considerably worsened

The head of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) said the human rights situation in the country's North and South Kivu has "considerably worsened" as the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group continues to seize vast tracts of land and overtakes key cities.

Soundbite said Bintou Keita, Head of the UN Peacekeeping Mission in DRC "It is imperative that this council takes urgent and decisive steps to avert a wider regional war."

." Countries bordering the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo sought to shore up defences on Wednesday as violence spreads through the region, with Burundi forced to pull back troops and Uganda securing a key city.