Nearly 3,000 people were killed over the last week as rebels captured a key city in one of the deadliest battles in the Central African country in decades.

Rebels in eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, began a ceasefire on Tuesday and people rushed to bury some 2,000 victims of last week's battles for the city as they feared the spread of disease.

Goma, Democratic Republic of the Congo - 04, 2025 More than 2,000 bodies have been buried in the city of Goma, in the northeast of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and its surroundings by the fighting between the Congolese army and the rebel group March 23 Movement (M23) last week,

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are seeking to advance south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, in an attempt to expand their area of control in the country's east after capturing the city of Goma.

Rebels have seized control of large areas of Goma, setting up checkpoints and severely restricting humanitarian access, according to the UN Population Fund ( UNFPA ). This has disrupted the delivery of food, water, and medical aid for up to two million people.