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

The M23, whose top brass are mostly Congolese Tutsi, began its insurgency more than three years ago after a decade of dormancy, seizing large parts of North Kivu province before finally grabbing Goma, the provincial capital, on 27 January.

Goma remains “under occupation” by Congo’s M23 rebels and the ceasefire they announced has been broken as their forces engage in heavy fighting along the main route to South Kivu’s main city Bukavu.

The M23 rebel group have captured the city of Goma in the eastern DRC in a major escalation of a drawn-out conflict.