Thirteen soldiers serving with peacekeeping forces in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been killed in clashes with rebels from the M23 group. The South African military said nine of its soldiers died helping to push back a rebel advance on the city of Goma,

Democratic Republic of Congo’s M23 rebels have seized the eastern town of Minova, a main supply route for the provincial capital Goma, a rebel spokesperson and the provincial governor said on Tuesday.

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.