A senior U.N. official in the Democratic Republic of Congo said Wednesday that nearly 3,000 people have been killed in a fighting between M23 militants and the national army over control of a key eastern city.

While the Interfaith Platform organized a prayer gathering February 3 in Kinshasa, leaders of the Catholic Church and the Church of Christ in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) met with the President of the DRC to present a “crisis exit plan” following the capture of Goma by M23 fighters and their allies.

Rwandan-backed M23 said Thursday it wanted to "liberate all of the Congo" in its first public meeting since seizing the eastern city of Goma after deadly clashes, as its fighters

The fragile ceasefire in eastern DR Congo is on the verge of collapse as Rwandan-backed M23 rebels reportedly seize control of Nyabibwe town in South Kivu province. The mining town, a key commercial hub between Goma and Bukavu,