Nearly 3000 people have been killed in the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the United Nations, after it was captured by rebels following days of fierce fighting with the Congolese army.

Over 2,000 bodies require burial in Goma after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels took over the Democratic of Congo city last week, inflaming a decade-old conflict and humanitarian crisis, Congo's communications minister Patrick Muyaya said late on Monday.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who seized a major city in eastern Congo have declared a unilateral ceasefire, citing humanitarian grounds. But, there was no sign of them giving up control of Goma at the heart of a region home to trillions of dollars in mineral wealth.

"The Alliance Fleuve Congo (AFC/M23) informs the public that in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the regime in Kinshasa it declares a ceasefire starting 4 February 4 2025 for humanitarian reasons," the rebels said in a statement posted on social media platform X.

A rebel alliance spearheaded by the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 militia said it had seized the lakeside city of more than 2 million people.

Authorities confirmed 773 bodies and 2,880 injured persons in Goma's morgues and hospitals, Congolese government spokesperson Patrick Muyaya told a briefing in the capital, Kinshasa, adding that the death toll could be higher.

Almost 3,000 people have been killed in fighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN has said.