The alliance of rebel groups that captured the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) strategic eastern city of Goma have declared a ceasefire in the region for humanitarian reasons.

The pause in the rebels' fight with the Congolese army — slated to begin on Tuesday — comes after hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced and amid mounting calls for a safe passage of aid.

Rebel alliance includes M23

The group called the Congo River Alliance also includes the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels, who were reported to be gaining territory in other eastern parts of the country while advancing on South Kivu's provincial capital, Bukavu.

However, the rebel alliance said in its statement on Monday that it had no intention of seizing Bukavu.

"It must be made clear that we have no intention of capturing Bukavu or other areas. However, we reiterate our commitment to protecting and defending the civilian population and our positions," M23 rebel spokesperson Lawrence Kanyuka said.

There was no immediate statement from Congo's government.

Last week, Congo River Alliance leader Corneille Nangaa said the militias would march "all the way to Kinshasa."

Hundreds dead in Goma

On Monday, UN agencies said that at least 900 people were killed in last week's fighting in Goma.

The figure was presented by the UN's humanitarian affairs agency (OCHA), citing the World Health Organization (WHO).

The M23 rebel group captured Goma, which is Congo's largest city in the east and a major hub for humanitarian operations, on January 27.

According to UN experts, the M23 rebels are backed by nearly 4,000 soldiers from neighboring Rwanda.

The escalation ignited fears of regional wars like those between 1996 and 2003, that left millions dead, mostly from hunger and disease.

Long-running conflict

The roots of the conflict in Congo lie in part in decades-long ethnic strife.

M23 says it is defending the ethnic Tutsis in the country against ethnic Hutu militias like the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which was founded by Hutus who fled to Congo from Rwanda after taking part in the 1994 genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

Rwanda alleges that the FDLR is "fully integrated" into the Congolese military but Congo denies the charges.

Kinshasa in turn accuses Rwanda of using M23 to take control of mineral-rich areas in eastern Congo.

Authorities in Congo have previously said that they are open to dialogue to find a solution for the long-running conflict, but the talks must be done within the framework of earlier peace agreements.

Rwanda and the rebel alliance accuse Congo of faltering on previous peace deals.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah