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.

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,