UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for the protection of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s "territorial integrity" and warned against the risk of a wider regional conflict, speaking at an African summit a day after Rwandan-backed militants captured a second provincial capital in the DRC.

As international pressure on Rwanda intensified to rein in the violence in eastern DRC, the conflict was expected to dominate discussions at the African Union summit, which opened in Addis Ababa.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame was present at the gathering, but his Congolese counterpart, Felix Tshisekedi, was absent as M23 fighters continued their advance across Congolese territory, to "closely follow the situation on the ground in DRC."

After seizing the strategic provincial capital of Goma in North Kivu last month, the Rwanda-backed armed group pushed into South Kivu, capturing a key airport before entering Bukavu virtually unopposed on Friday, according to security and humanitarian sources.

The M23 has already installed its own mayor and local administration in Goma and has declared its intent to march on the national capital, Kinshasa—despite it being roughly 1,600 km away. The DRC army has been forced into multiple retreats.

The offensive has sparked concerns of a broader regional war, as several nations, including South Africa, Burundi, and Malawi, are actively supporting the DRC militarily.

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"The fighting that is raging in South Kivu -- as a result of the continuation of the M23 offensive -- threatens to push the entire region over the precipice," Guterres told leaders at the summit, without explicitly naming Rwanda.

"Regional escalation must be avoided at all costs. There is no military solution," he stressed. "The dialogue must begin. And the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the DRC must be respected."

Calls for a DRC Ceasefire

Amid growing fears of a broader regional conflict, the AU has faced criticism for its cautious stance, with observers urging more decisive action.

The European Union on Saturday stated that it was "urgently" reviewing all possible responses following developments in Bukavu, warning that "the ongoing violation of the DRC's territorial integrity will not go unanswered."

Meanwhile, outgoing AU Commission Chairman Moussa Faki Mahamat told AFP on Friday that African nations were in "general mobilization" to end the hostilities.

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who hosted the summit, reiterated on Saturday that conflict resolution, diplomacy, and peacebuilding must remain the focus of efforts.

Meanwhile, a meeting of the AU’s Peace and Security Council focused on the crisis continued late into Friday night, with neither Kagame nor Tshisekedi in attendance.

Read more: Humanitarian crisis intensifies in East Congo as militants head south