Some 7,000 people have died since January in fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), its prime minister told a high-level meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday.

Of these 7,000 deaths, around 3,000 deaths were reported from the capital city of Goma, which was captured by the Rwanda-backed rebel group M23.

Some 7,000 people have died since January in fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the prime minister of the DRC told a high-level meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Monday,

Violence raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed "more than 7,000 compatriots", many of them civilians, since last month, the Congolese premier said Monday. "The security situation in eastern DRC has reached alarming levels,