KINSHASA, Congo — More than 7,000 people have died this year as Rwanda-backed M23 rebels have captured unprecedented amounts of territory in mineral-rich eastern Congo, Congo’s prime minister said Monday, as the European Union announced it would review an agreement with Rwanda on critical raw materials.

Judith Suminwa Tuluka told the U.N. Human Rights Council that the security and humanitarian situation in the region “has reached alarming levels.”

The conflict has accelerated in recent weeks, with the rebels taking the key city of Goma in January and Bukavu, another provincial capital, this month. M23 is the most potent of the many armed groups vying for a foothold in Congo’s east, which has trillions of dollars of mostly untapped mineral wealth crucial to the world’s technology.

The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, called Congo’s territorial integrity “non-negotiable” and said EU consultations with Rwanda have been suspended and their memorandum of understanding regarding critical raw materials will be under review. — The Associated Press