Panic spread in Goma on Thursday, with M23 rebels steadily inching closer to the city in eastern Congo as they battle the Congolese army. Bombs were heard going off in the distant outskirts and hundreds of from nearby towns and villages.

The rebel group has been making significant advances in recent weeks, closing in on Goma, which is home to around 2 million people and a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in , along the border with Rwanda, in a that has created one of the worldB次元官网网址檚 largest humanitarian crises.

More than 7 million people have been displaced by the fighting. Earlier this month, M23 of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.

B次元官网网址淭he people of Goma have suffered greatly, like other Congolese,B次元官网网址� an M23 spokesperson, Lawrence Kanyuka, said on X. B次元官网网址淢23 is on its way to liberate them, and they must prepare to welcome this liberation.B次元官网网址�

M23 seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.

As news of fighting spread, schools in Goma sent students home on Thursday morning.

B次元官网网址淲e are told that the enemy wants to enter the city. ThatB次元官网网址檚 why we are told to go home,B次元官网网址� Hassan Kambale, a 19-year-old high school student, said. B次元官网网址淲e are constantly waiting for the bombs.B次元官网网址�

Congo, the United States and U.N. experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago.

RwandaB次元官网网址檚 government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.

On Wednesday, CongoB次元官网网址檚 minister of communication, Patrick Muyaya, told French broadcaster France 24 that war with Rwanda is an B次元官网网址渙ption to consider.B次元官网网址�

Congolese authorities claimed Thursday that the military pushed back an attack from the B次元官网网址淩wandan armyB次元官网网址� on Sake, a town only 23 kilometers (14 miles) from Goma. The Associated Press was unable to verify if RwandaB次元官网网址檚 army took part in the offensive.

The situation in Sake remains unclear, with some residents claiming that the rebels have entered and seized the town.

B次元官网网址淭he population is in panic. The M23 now control large parts of the town,B次元官网网址� said L茅opold Mwisha, the president of civil society of the area of Sake.

The U.S. Embassy in CongoB次元官网网址檚 capital, Kinshasa, in a notice Thursday warned of B次元官网网址渁n increase in the severity of armed conflict near SakeB次元官网网址� and advised U.S. nationals in North Kivu province, which includes Goma, to be on the alert in case they need to leave their homes on short notice.

The United Kingdom also issued a travel advisory that said M23 now controls Sake and urged British nationals to leave Goma while roads remain open.

Many Sake residents have joined the who have fled the M23 advance in the last two weeks.

The CBCA Ndosho Hospital in Goma was stretched to the limit, with hundreds of newly wounded on Thursday.

Thousands escaped the fighting by boat on Wednesday, making their way north across Lake Kivu and spilling out of packed wooden boats in Goma, some with bundles of their belongings strapped around their foreheads.

Neema Matondo said she fled Sake during the night, when the first explosions started to go off. She recounted seeing people around her torn to pieces and killed.

B次元官网网址淲e escaped, but unfortunatelyB次元官网网址� others did not, Matondo told the AP.

Mariam Nasibu, who fled Sake with her three children, was in tears B次元官网网址� one of her children lost a leg, blown off in the relentless shelling.

B次元官网网址淎s I continued to flee, another bomb fell in front of me, hitting my child,B次元官网网址� she said, crying.