More than 700 people have been killed and 2,800 injured in just five days since fighting escalated in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) between January 26-30, UN Secretary-General spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters Friday.

Aid teams from the UN World Health Organization ( WHO) “cannot move freely to support the hospitals, even ambulances cannot run. It’s a situation that in public health is a nightmare,” said Dr Boureima Hama Sambo, WHO Representive in DRC.

The UN says at least 700 people have been killed in intense fighting in Goma, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, since Sunday. UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said 2,800 people have been injured,

"It wasn't Guinea-worm disease. After receiving treatment, he was able to resume his life as a fisherman. I was very proud to have helped him." In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the elimination of guinea worm marks a major achievement in the prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases.

Staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been told to halt all communication with the World Health Organization.

Japan has sent the Democratic Republic of the Congo 50,000 doses of a vaccine against mpox, previously known as monkeypox.

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.

A potential Ebola outbreak has been reported in the DRC, at a time when the Trump administration has paused communication with the WHO.

Until June, the United Nations had peacekeepers deployed in Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province. The U.N. made an agreement with the government to gradually begin drawing down its mission, known as MONUSCO, and closed its Bukavu office.

British foreign secretary laments lack of global attention to crises in Africa compared with conflicts in other regions - Anadolu Ajansı

Advances being made by the M23 rebel group in the Democratic Republic of Congo are "heightening the threat of a regional war," according to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Japan has sent the Democratic Republic of the Congo 50,000 doses ... has been spreading in the DRC and elsewhere. The World Health Organization in August declared a public health emergency of ...