GOMA, Congo — Fighting with M23 rebels in eastern Congo has left at least 13 peacekeepers and foreign soldiers dead, United Nations and army officials said Saturday.

M23 has made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling the eastern city of Goma, which has around 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

The U.N. Security Council moved up an emergency meeting on the escalating violence to Sunday morning. Congo requested the meeting.

On Saturday, Congo’s army said it fended off an M23 offensive towards Goma with the help of its allied forces, including U.N. troops and soldiers from the Southern African Development Community Mission.

“The Rwandan-backed M23 is clearly exploiting the presidential transition in the U.S. to advance on Goma,” Kate Hixon, advocacy director for Africa at Amnesty International U.S., told The Associated Press.

— The Associated Press