M23 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo were reported to have taken the key eastern city of Goma in fierce fighting with government forces that sent streams of refugees fleeing area communities.

Fleeing prisoners streamed from the torched jail as Rwanda-backed rebels claim they have captured the strategic city

M23 rebels said they have advanced into Goma, a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced.

The M23 rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Rwandan-backed rebels marched into east Congo's largest city Goma on Monday and troops from the east African neighbours exchanged fire over the border in the worst escalation of the long-running conflict for more than a decade.

They said they were protecting the rights of Tutsi minority communities in DR Congo. Shortly after its creation, M23 rapidly gained territory and seized Goma resulting in international criticism and accusations of war crimes and human rights violations,