Congolese rebel group M23 says its leader is headed to Uganda for talks.

M23 said Sultani Makenga was on his way to Kampala Monday to meet with regional military leaders.

Ugandan military sources said they could not confirm the rebels' announcement.

A group of regional states has demanded that M23 withdraw from the city of Goma by the end of the day Monday.

The rebels captured the city last week and have since seized other territory in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The presidents of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and the DRC met in Kampala on Saturday, but a key figure was missing — Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who sent his foreign minister instead.

The United Nations has accused Rwanda and Uganda of giving support to M23, a charge both countries deny.

The DRC government has tried for years with little success to pacify the east, where armed groups compete for control of the region's mineral wealth.