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.

Congo’s government has described the unilateral ceasefire declared by Rwanda-backed rebels in eastern Congo as “false communication,” while the United Nations on Tuesday noted reports of heavy fighting with Congolese forces in the region.

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.

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

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.

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.

The Eastern Congo rebel alliance that includes the M23 has declared a ceasefire for humanitarian reasons starting on Feb. 4, the group known as the Congo River Alliance said in a statement. The alliance added that it had no intention of capturing Bukavu,