Luggage on their backs, they trudged all Wednesday morning along the road leading to downtown Goma, fleeing the advancing fighters in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.Streams of displaced people have flocked from Minova,

M23 rebels seized the town of Minova in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a key supply route for the provincial capital, Goma, authorities said Tuesday. The move led to an exodus of people in the face of a new offensive by the rebel group, which has taken several strategic towns in recent weeks.

Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo have taken over the key eastern trading town of Minova, according to various sources. The fall of the city puts the rebels within 40km (25 miles) of provincial capital, Goma, which lies close to the border with Rwanda.

The army acknowledged Tuesday a "breakthrough" by the M23 in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo where the armed group fighting government forces has seized a trading hub that supplies the city of Goma.