( CNN ) -- Army troops and rebels clashed on Wednesday in the violence-ridden eastern part of Congo , threatening to undermine an already fragile stability . Hundreds of people in North Kivu fled toward the city of Goma by road trying to escape the fighting . The sound of heavy artillery echoed through the hills . The Congolese army continued a second day offensive to recover the cities of Rugari and Rumangavo , and to takeover these positions held by the insurgency . `` The situation is deteriorating because of the fighting between various groups , '' said Ronald Paul Veilleux , the International Rescue Committee 's provincial director for North and South Kivu . As of January 2009 , an estimated 1.5 million people in North and South Kivu provinces have been internally displaced , and the number continues to rise , according to the United Nations . `` People are losing their homes , their livelihoods and their hope , '' Veilleux said . The massive displacement has also led to an increase in gender-based violence . According to Veilleux , reported cases have gone up by 75 % nationwide since April , and many go unreported in a nation that is already known as the rape capital of the world . In addition , this past week the World Health Organization reported a sharp increase in the number of cholera cases in North Kivu . `` There is potential for this to turn into an epidemic if the situation continues to deteriorate , '' said Veilleux . The eastern part of Congo has been embroiled in violence since 1994 , when Hutu forces crossed the border fearing reprisals following the genocide in neighboring Rwanda . In 1998 the vast nation -- previously known as Zaire -- became a battleground for eight African countries . More than 5 million people died in the war and its aftermath , making it the deadliest conflict since World War II . Despite the signing of peace accords in 2003 , fighting continues in the eastern part of Congo between various rebel groups and the Congolese army , which is back by U.N. peacekeepers . There are many different forces on the ground , all of whom are armed . `` The fighting is like a view through a kaleidoscope , '' said John Campbell , an Africa expert with the Council on Foreign Relations . Amid growing concerns of an escalating conflict , the U.S. government announced last week that it will cut military aid to Rwanda . The United States has accused Rwanda of supporting rebels in Congo . `` The United States government is deeply concerned about the evidence that Rwanda is implicated in the provision of support to Congolese rebel groups , including M23 , '' said Hilary Fuller Renner , a State Department spokeswoman . The M23 -- named after a failed peace agreement signed on March 23 three years ago -- is a rebel group that split from the Congolese army earlier this year . It has been accused of killing hundreds of people . One of the M23 commanders , Bosco Ntaganda , is wanted by the International Criminal Court for alleged war crimes . In a report to the U.N. Security Council in June , a U.N. expert panel on Congo found `` substantial evidence '' attesting to support from Rwandan officials to armed groups operating in the eastern region . It documents a `` systematic pattern of military and political support provided to the M23 rebellion by Rwandan authorities '' in the form of recruits , weapons and military equipment . Rwanda has denied allegations that the M23 are backed by their country 's Tutsi leadership . `` As we have made clear from the outset , Rwanda is neither the cause nor the enabler of instability in the eastern ( Congo ) , '' said Louise Mushikiwabo , Rwanda 's foreign minister . Journalist Gemma Parellada contributed to this report .
Army troops and rebels clashed on Wednesday . Numbers of internally displaced people continues to swell . Disease and violence against women also are seen rising sharply . U.S. has accused Rwanda of supporting rebels in Congo .