The military governor of The North Kivu region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has died from injuries sustained in the frontline, government officials have said. M23 gangs near the district capital, Goma.
The circumstances surrounding the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami are not known, but Cirimwami, who led the army in North Kivu in eastern DRC, visited troops on the Kasengezi line, about 13km (8 miles) from Goma, on Thursday. the day of his death.
His death was confirmed by a government source, a military source and a United Nations source on Friday, all of whom spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
The M23 has made significant gains in recent weeks, surrounding Goma, which has a population of around 2 million and is a major security and humanitarian hub.
On Thursday, fear spread across Goma as insurgents took control of Sake, a town 27km (16 miles) northwest of the regional capital and on a road that is one of the last routes into the city still under government control, according to the UN secretary general. . – General Antonio Guterres.
The UN has warned that violent conflict in North Kivu has displaced more than 400,000 people this year and could lead to regional war.
“The number of refugees has now exceeded 400,000 this year alone, almost double the number reported last week,” Matthew Saltmarsh, spokesman for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), said at a news conference in Geneva. Friday.
Saltmarsh said UNHCR was “deeply concerned about the safety and security of civilians and refugees” in the east of the country.
“Heavy bombardment forced families from at least nine refugee camps on the outskirts of Goma to flee to the city for safety and shelter,” he said, adding that many were living a brutal life.
The United States, the United Kingdom and France on Friday asked their citizens to leave Goma while airports and borders remain open, giving advice via online voice or messages sent directly by email or SMS.
M23 has been accused of widespread atrocities, including rape. More than 2 million people have been displaced from their homes since the fighting resumed three years ago.
“We fled to avoid danger because we know that when the enemy comes to our village, they will forcefully recruit many young people,” Mumulirwa Baguma Destin, who fled his home in Mukwija, told Al Jazeera.
The M23 is one of about 100 militias that have been fighting in the mineral-rich eastern DRC on the border with Rwanda in a decades-long war that has caused some of the world's worst problems.
This month, M23 captured the towns of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma. M23 seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.
The DRC, the UN and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting M23, which is mainly made up of Tutsi people who defected from the Congolese army more than a decade ago.
The Rwandan government denies the allegations but last year admitted it has troops and missiles in eastern DRC to protect its security, pointing to a Congolese military buildup near the border.
Al Jazeera's Malcolm Webb, who is based in Nairobi, Kenya, said that many people who fled the fighting met with the M23 insurgents in 2012 and are afraid of the group.
“We have met people in the camps who say they don't want to be in a job they see as a strange job,” he said.
But he said the refugee camps were “notorious for their cleanliness and rampant sexual abuse”.