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.

A man stands in front of a gas station office that was hit by light and heavy weapons during the fighting in the town that led to the fall of Goma to the M23 rebels, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo,

Rebels in eastern Congo's largest city, Goma, began a ceasefire on Tuesday and people rushed to bury some 2,000 victims of last week's battles for the city as they feared the spread of disease.

The cost of some essential food items has more than doubled in Goma, the main city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo that was captured by M23 rebels last week, according to locals and an NGO.

When M23 rebels swept into the Congolese city of Goma this week, world powers urged them to immediately withdraw. Instead, the Rwanda-backed insurgents are intent on showing they can restore order and govern.

The capture of Goma, the main city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, last week by the M23 rebel group follows a three-year insurgency heavily supported by neighbouring Rwanda despite its awful impact on millions of Congolese civilians.