UNITED NATIONS, Nov 19 (Reuters) - The United Nations cannot confirm reports that soldiers from Democratic Republic of Congo fired heavy weapons rounds into Rwandan territory on Monday, a spokesman for U.N. peacekeeping operations said.
As the M23 rebels advance on Goma, the provincial capital of North Kivu province, U.N. peacekeeping spokesman Kieran Dwyer also said non-essential U.N. staff would begin to leave on Tuesday, but troops would stay to protect civilians.
The Congolese had accused Rwanda of sending thousands of troops into eastern Congo over the weekend as the rebels moved closer to Goma. Rwanda denied the allegation.
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