The governor of North Kivu province in eastern Congo has died from injuries sustained during front-line fighting, authorities said Friday as M23 rebels advanced on the provincial capital.
M23 has made significant territorial advances in recent weeks, surrounding Goma, which has a population of approximately two million people and is a regional security and humanitarian hub.
The circumstances of Maj. Gen. Peter Cirimwami's death are unclear, but Cirimwami, who commanded army operations in troubled North Kivu, visited soldiers on the front line in Kasengezi, about 13 kilometers from Goma, on the day of his death.
His death on Thursday was confirmed by a government source, a military source and a UN source on Friday, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The governor died in hospital after sustaining injuries on the front line, he added.
According to the UN chief, panic broke out in Goma as rebels took control of Sake, a town located just 27 kilometers from the provincial capital and one of the last main roads into the city still under government control.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups fighting for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo, along the border with Rwanda, in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises. More than seven million people have been displaced by the fighting.
Earlier this month, M23 captured the towns of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.
M23 captured Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.
Experts from Congo, the US and the UN accuse Rwanda of supporting M23, composed mainly of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army more than a decade ago.
The Rwandan government denies these claims, but last year admitted it had troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to protect its security, pointing to the buildup of Congolese forces near the border. UN experts estimate that there are up to 4,000 Rwandan soldiers in Congo.
Tension, clashes
There was considerable tension on the outskirts of the city of Goma on Friday as clashes broke out between Congolese armed forces and the M23 motorway.
Fighting is concentrated in Kibumba, about 25 kilometers north of Goma, and around Sake in the west. More than 178,000 people have fled the M23 in the last two weeks.
On Friday, 25-year-old Alliance Gentil was among dozens of people displaced on the road from Sake to Goma. Sitting on a container of water next to her belongings, with her baby on her back, she decided she was tired of constantly running away.
“I'm running away, but I don't know where I'm going,” said the mother of two, adding that she had already run away twice in the last month.
The front line near Goma is just a few dozen meters from the Lushagala and Bulengo IDP camps, sparking fear among those who have sought refuge near the provincial capital.
According to the UN refugee agency, tens of thousands more have arrived in recent weeks in camps in Goma and its outskirts, which have already housed almost 600,000 displaced people.
On Friday, explosions of heavy weapons echoed throughout Goma. Many shops and stores remained closed and police were deployed on the city's main streets. Military checkpoints were set up throughout the city to check all vehicles.
