United Nations agencies on Friday called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo as fighting between government forces and the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group expands.

The rebels have already seized the provincial capital, Goma, and reports indicate that they are closing in on the key city of Bukavu, capital of South Kivu province.

The hostilities are occurring in a mineral-rich region that has been volatile for decades amid a proliferation of armed groups, which has forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes over the years and seek safety in displacement camps.

UN humanitarians warn that the situation continues to worsen for civilians likely trapped by days of intense fighting in and around Goma, which has a population of over one million.

Displacement camps on the city’s outskirts, previously hosting more than 300,000 people, are emptying out as people flee the violence. Medical services are overwhelmed by the number of injured, both civilians and military personnel.

The World Food Programme said water and food are running low, and the next 24 hours are crucial.

“People are really running out of food, clean water, medical supplies and that’s a big concern. So, the supply chain has really been strangled at the moment,” WFP Spokesperson Shelley Thakral said.

Several WFP warehouses have been looted and teams are taking stock of what they would  need to procure locally and transfer by road to ensure they have provisions once operations resume in the critically affected areas.

WFP’s priority is keeping its staff and their dependents safe, and only critical staff remain in the area who are getting ready to resume operations as soon as security permits.

Meanwhile, the human rights crisis also continues to deepen in the east.

At least two sites for internally displaced persons have been bombed, causing civilian casualties, the UN human rights office, OHCHR, reported.

Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence said OHCHR documented summary executions of at least 12 people by the M23 between 26 and 28 January.

The office has also documented cases of conflict-related sexual violence by the army and allied Wazalendo fighters in Kalehe territory, located in South Kivu.

It is also verifying reports that 52 women were raped by Congolese troops in South Kivu, including alleged reports of gangrape.

(NAN)