Bodies are decomposing on the streets of Goma that have not yet been collected, with hundreds of thousands displaced in the region after fighting between Rwanda-backed rebels and Congolese forces.

Rebels occupying the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo city of Goma have declared a cease-fire but the government dismissed the pause in the fighting as a ruse aimed to head off growing international concern.

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.

Rwanda-backed rebels who have captured eastern Congo’s largest city say they plan to take their rebellion to the capital and seek to gain political power.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they are now in control of the key eastern Congolese city of Goma. Their fighters continue to claim more territory in one of the world's most mineral-rich territories.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who seized eastern Congo's key city of Goma announced a unilateral ceasefire in the region Monday for humanitarian reasons, following calls for a safe corridor for aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people.

Rwanda-backed forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced late on Monday that they will pause their advance across the east citing humanitarian reasons, Al Jazeera reported.The AFC/M23 rebel coalition said that it would implement a unilateral ceasefire starting on Tuesday.