More than 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in just five days since fighting escalated in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January 26-30, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday.

Aid teams from the UN World Health Organization ( WHO) “cannot move freely to support the hospitals, even ambulances cannot run. It’s a situation that in public health is a nightmare,” said Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representive in DRC.

The UN says at least 700 people have been killed in intense fighting in Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since Sunday. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said 2,800 people have been injured,

Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to halt all communication with the World Health Organization.

"It wasn't Guinea-worm disease. After receiving treatment, he was able to resume his life as a fisherman. I was very proud to have helped him." In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the elimination of guinea worm marks a major achievement in the prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases.

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

As UN agencies reported "relative calm" on Wednesday in the city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), humanitarians warned that the chaos caused by advancing M23 rebel forces could fuel a region-wide health emergency.

Advances being made by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo are "heightening the threat of a regional war," according to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has warned that the worsening humanitarian situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) hampers the fight against the spread of Mpox in the region.

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels say they are now in control of the key eastern Congolese city of Goma. Their fighters continue to claim more territory in one of the world's most mineral-rich territories.

Advertisement He also urged the Congolese diaspora around the world "to mobilize in support of our compatriots in North Kivu, our Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Supreme ...