UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 25 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Tuesday condemned rebel groups' break of ceasefire and warned of an exacerbation of the humanitarian crisis.

    The rebel Congress in Defence of the People (CNDP) resumed attacks in the eastern part of the country earlier in the day against the Mayi Mayi militia in North Kivu province "under the cover of a so-called police and pacification operation," the UN said in a news release, citing the peacekeeping mission known by its French acronym MONUC.

    "This fighting has sown panic among civilians who are once more in headlong flight along the highways in search of safety," the MONUC said in a communique.

    The MONUC condemned the attacks by the CNDP and demanded it comply unconditionally with the truce which the group itself firstinitiated at the end of October.

    The UN mission also condemned government forces' recent pillage of Bulotwa village, north of the provincial capital of Goma, and called on relevant military authorities to "apply the full rigor of the law against the perpetrators in conformity with the pledges they have made."

    Escalating conflict between government forces and the CNDP has displaced an estimated 250,000 Congolese in the past three months, mainly in North Kivu province, which borders Rwanda.

    The UN Security Council last Thursday authorized a temporary increase of 3,000 troops for the MONUC. With currently over 17,000troops, MONUC is the world's largest and most expensive peacekeeping operation.