GOMA, Congo — Rebels, who last week seized one of the most important cities in eastern Congo and advanced beyond, said Thursday that they had pulled back several miles (kilometers ) to the town of Sake and were on track to leave the key city by Friday, in accordance with a deadline imposed by the international community.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said people had returned to Sake, abandoning a camp for displaced persons, but many found their homes had been looted or destroyed in the fighting.

"They have almost no food supplies and are unable to reach their fields," said Franz Rauchenstein, head of the ICRC delegation in Congo.