GOMA, Congo, Feb 6, (AP): Rwanda-backed rebels gained ground in eastern Congo on Wednesday despite the unilateral ceasefire they declared earlier this week, taking control of a town 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the provincial capital of Bukavu, civil society officials and residents told The Associated Press. Goma remains "under occupation” by Congo’s M23 rebels and the ceasefire they announced has been broken as their forces engage in heavy fighting along the main route to South Kivu’s main city Bukavu, the UN's deputy representative in Congo, Vivian van de Perre said Wednesday.

M23 rebels are now approximately 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Bukavu, she added. The M23 rebels on Monday announced the ceasefire on humanitarian grounds after pleas for the safe passage of aid and hundreds of thousands of displaced people. But Congo's government has described the ceasefire as "false communication," and the United Nations has noted reports of heavy fighting with Congolese forces in the mineral-rich region.

Van de Perre said all exit routes from Goma and its airport are under control of the M23 and Rwandan military forces backing them, and movements of the UN peacekeeping force known as MONUSCO in the city have been restricted. She said reopening the damaged Goma airport is critical for ongoing civilian and humanitarian use. The United Nations is also "gravely concerned” at losing Bukavu’s Kavumu airport, which is now used by Congo’s military, she said.

Néné Bintou, president of the civil society of South Kivu province, told the AP that the mining town of Nyabibwe was under the control of the M23. Nyabibwe is midway between Bukavu and Goma, the city the rebels seized last week and still control. "They have taken over Nyabibwe since this morning from 9 am," said Moïse Bisimwa, a resident reached by phone. "So we are here, we are worried about the situation.

Apparently, the ceasefire that was declared by the M23 is just smoke and mirrors.” "The RDF/M23 Coalition is violating the unilaterally declared ceasefire and is facing fierce resistance from the FARDC around Nyabibwe,” the Congolese authorities said in a statement. The RDF stands for Rwandan Defense Forces, or Rwanda's military. "The RDF/M23 unilateral ceasefire was nothing but a Rwandan lie. Troops crossed the great barrier of Goma at night to attack the city of Nyabibwe,” the statement added.