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.

Thousands of prisoners in the eastern Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) city of Goma escaped in a mass jail break on Monday as Rwanda-backed rebels said they had captured the strategic city.

Gunfire rang out early on Monday across parts of Goma, the largest city in eastern Congo, hours after Rwanda-backed rebels said they had seized the city despite the United Nations Security Council's calling for an end to the offensive.