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.

Amid an uptick in fighting, the United Nations says more than 237,000 people have been forced from their homes in the eastern DRC since the start of the year.

M23 rebels have captured Minova, an important supply route to Goma, escalating tensions in eastern Congo. The South Kivu provincial governor, Jean-Jacques Purusi, confirmed that Minova and other key towns,

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.

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.