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.

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.

- Members of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's army stand guard against the M23 rebel group in Lubero, North Kivu province, on Oct. 27, 2024. Officials said on Jan. 21, 2025, that M23 rebels recently have captured several key towns in South and North Kivu provinces.