NZULO, Congo -- The M23 rebel group's advance toward eastern Congo's largest city has displaced over 178,000 people in the past two weeks, the United Nations said, as the fighters closed in on Goma on the border with Rwanda.

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

Authorities say M23 rebels have seized the town of Minova, a trade hub for the eastern provincial capital of Goma.