Nearly 3,000 people have been killed in the city of Goma in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the United Nations, after it was captured by rebels following days of fierce fighting with the Congolese army.

Thousands fled the city of Goma on Monday as fighting raged between Congolese forces and rebels backed by neighboring Rwanda, who claimed to have captured eastern Congo’s largest regional hub.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured a major city in eastern Congo have sought to reassure its residents about their safety

The Democratic Republic of Congo will present a motion to the United Nations Human Rights Council seeking an investigation into what it called "mass violations" of rights in the city of Goma, its envoy told reporters on Thursday.

Nearly 3,000 people were killed over the last week as rebels captured a key city in one of the deadliest battles in the Central African country in decades.

STORY: The morgues in Goma are overflowing, after Rwanda-backed rebels seized the biggest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last week.Relative calm has now returned to the provincial capital after the rebel Congo River Alliance,