The U.N.'s top human rights body was holding an urgent session on Friday on spiralling violence in eastern Congo, where Rwanda-backed rebels recently captured a key city and some 3,000 people have been killed and nearly as many injured since late January.

The Rwanda-backed rebels who captured a major city in eastern Congo have sought to reassure its residents about their safety

The U.N. secretary-general appealed Thursday for peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where a recent escalation of fighting between rebels and the national army has killed at least 2,900 people and displaced tens of thousands.