UN delegation in the DRC to assess situation in North Kivu province

United Nations officials have arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Friday to assess the security and humanitarian situation in the east of the country.

Fighting in the North Kivu province has intensified recently with the M23 rebels threatening to cut off all road links to Goma, a city of more than one million inhabitants situated on the border with Rwanda.

Speaking on arrival, the French ambassador to the UN reaffirmed the support of the international community with the DRC.

"The main message we have come to convey is that the United Nations, the international community, stands by the Democratic Republic of Congo in its ordeal because what is happening in the east of the country is not acceptable, the action of the groups is very reprehensible, it must be fought", said Nicolas de Rivière.

Several regional initiatives intended to defuse the conflict have so far failed to stop the fighting.

An Angola-mediated ceasefire that had been due to take effect on Tuesday collapsed the same day.

"We have been saying since the beginning of this interview that the Security Council have many levels in his action for peace and security. One of the main tools for peace and security is dialogue. It's difficult to make it without dialogue and negotiation. Indeed, we don't have only dialogue and we are here to envisage all the possibilities of the objective to bring peace and security", addedGabon's ambassador to the UN, Michel Xavier Biang.

The Congolesegovernment accuses Rwanda of backing the M23 rebels. 

UN experts, the United States and several other western states, have also concluded that Rwanda supports the group, although Kigali has so far denied that.

The UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC, known as MONUSCOis one of the largest and most expensive UN missions in the world, with more than 16 000 uniformed personnel.

Residents accuse it of failing to deal with the dozens of armed groups operating in eastern DRC, including M23 rebels.