While Goma has fallen into the hands of the rebel group and the Rwandan army, Sake, just a few kilometers away, remains largely abandoned. The more daring residents stroll the streets by day but return to their camps at night.

United Nations agencies called for an end to the violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) as fighting between

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.

The rebels said the ceasefire would start Tuesday. The announcement came shortly after the U.N. said 900 people were killed in last week’s fighting in Goma between rebels and Congolese forces.

The rebel group M23 declared a ceasefire in areas under its control in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing humanitarian reasons. The streets of Goma were busy as aid groups rushed Tuesday to help the thousands of people wounded and displaced during the past week’s fighting between M23 and pro-Congolese government forces.