Bodies in streets as morgues exceed capacity after 700 killed in just four days of Congo clashes

More than 700 radical person been killed successful warring successful the Democratic Republic of Congo this week, the UN has said.

The Congolese wellness ministry said connected Saturday determination were 773 bodies successful infirmary morgues successful and astir Goma pursuing a caller violative by rebels who seized the eastbound city.

More bodies were lying successful the thoroughfare aft morgues successful the country exceeded their capacity, the ministry added.

The UN shared akin figures and added that astir 2,800 radical are thought to person been injured successful the Goma country betwixt 26 and 30 January.

Congo has been wracked by warring betwixt the Rwandan-backed rebels and authorities forces.

Recently, M23 rebels took power of Goma - eastbound Congo's largest metropolis and the superior of the North Kivu province, which is location to lucrative gold, coltan and tin mines.

After taking the city, the Tutsi-led rebels were said to beryllium moving toward Bukavu, successful South Kivu, but appeared held up connected Friday by Congolese troops supported by Burundi's army.

Read much connected Congo crisis:
Eyewitness: Fears successful Goma aft rebel advance
Explained: Why is determination warring and is Rwanda invading?

Well-trained and professionally armed, M23 is the latest successful a agelong enactment of Rwandan-supported rebel movements to look successful Congo's volatile eastbound borderlands pursuing 2 successive wars stemming from Rwanda's 1994 genocide.

It is the astir potent of much than 100 equipped groups vying for power of the eastbound region.

The cardinal African nation's subject was weakened aft it mislaid hundreds of troops and mercenaries successful the autumn of Goma.

But Congo's subject precocious recaptured the villages of Sanzi, Muganzo and Mukwidja successful South Kivu's Kalehe territory, which had fallen to the rebels earlier this week, according to 2 civilian nine officials.

UN peacekeeping main Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the M23 and Rwandan forces were astir 37 miles (60km) northbound of South Kivu's provincial superior of Bukavu, having covered astir the aforesaid region successful the erstwhile 2 days.

Mr Lacroix said the rebels "seem to beryllium moving rather fast," and had the accidental to seizure an airdrome a fewer kilometres distant which "would beryllium different truly important step."

The seizure of Goma besides resulted successful a humanitarian crisis, the UN said.

It had served arsenic a humanitarian hub and was captious for galore of the six cardinal radical displaced by the conflict.

Rose Tchwenko, state manager for the Mercy Corps assistance radical successful Congo, said the seizure had led to "a standstill, cutting disconnected a captious lifeline for assistance transportation crossed eastbound Congo".

She added: "The escalation of unit toward Bukavu raises fears of adjacent greater displacement, portion the breakdown of humanitarian entree is leaving full communities stranded without support."

The rebels person vowed to march each the mode to Congo's superior Kinshasa, 1,000 miles (1,600km) to the west.

The rebel beforehand has been marked by "summary executions of astatine slightest 12 people" by the M23 group, UN quality rights bureau spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said connected Friday, adding the radical has besides occupied schools and hospitals and subjected civilians to conscription and forced labour.

On the different side, Congolese forces person been accused of intersexual unit successful the region, Mr Laurence added.

He said the UN was verifying reports that Congolese troops raped 52 women successful South Kivu.