Thousands of families have been displaced by violence in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels last month seized the key city of Goma in a blitz offensive in the mineral-rich region.

The decision by the Human Rights Council was requested by Congo and agreed to by consensus, meaning no vote was taken. It culminated an urgent session on the spiraling violence in a region where Rwanda-backed M23 rebels recently captured the key city of Goma.

The U.N.’s top human rights body is holding an urgent session on spiralling violence in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels recently captured a major city

Rwanda-backed rebels claimed on Monday they captured eastern Congo’s strategic city of Goma, the hub of a region containing trillions of dollars in mineral wealth that remains largely untapped.

M23 rebels claim they now control the Congolese city of Goma—an act Congo's government described as a 'declaration of war.'

Rwandan-backed M23 rebels in Democratic Republic of Congo are seeking to advance south towards Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province, in an attempt to expand their area of control in the country's east after capturing the city of Goma.