More than 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in just five days since fighting escalated in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January 26-30, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday.

The city of 2 million people is at the heart of a region home to trillions of dollars in mineral wealth and remains in rebel control.

M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo said they would begin a unilateral ceasefire on Tuesday as the Group of Seven nations demanded that the Rwanda-backed militia halt an offensive that has shaken the eastern part of the country.

A rebel group that claimed to have captured the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week has called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire, after fighting with the Congolese military has left hundreds of people dead.

The rebel group M23 declared a ceasefire in areas under its control in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing humanitarian reasons. The streets of Goma were busy as aid groups rushed Tuesday to help the thousands of people wounded and displaced during the past week’s fighting between M23 and pro-Congolese government forces.