The governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front lines, authorities said on Friday, as M23 rebels were locked down in the provincial capital.
M23 made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, surrounding Goma, which has around two million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
The circumstances surrounding Major General Peter Cirimwami’s death were unclear, but Cirimwami, who led army operations in restive North Kivu, visited frontline troops 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 about the matter. The governor died at a hospital after sustaining injuries on the front lines, they said.
Panic took over Goma on Thursday as rebels seized control of Sake, a town just 27 kilometers (17 miles) from the provincial capital and one of the last main routes into the city still under state control, according to the U.N. chief.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups struggling to gain a foothold in mineral-rich eastern Congo bordering Rwanda in a decades-long conflict that has created one of the world’s largest 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 seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.
Congo, US and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting M23. This consists mainly of ethnic Tutsis who defected from the Congolese army over a decade ago.
Rwanda’s government denies the claim but admitted last year that it had troops and missile systems in eastern Congo to protect its security and pointed to a buildup of Congolese forces near the border. UN experts estimate that there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in Congo.
Tension, clashes
The city of Goma was gripped by palpable tension as clashes between Congo’s armed forces raged on the outskirts of the city on Friday.
Fighting is concentrated in Kibumba, about 25 kilometers north of Goma, and around Sake to the west. More than 178,000 people have fled the M23 advance in the last two weeks.
Alliance Gentil, 25, was among dozens of displaced people from Sake to Goma on Friday. Sitting on her water container next to her belongings, a baby on her back, she said she was tired of constantly running away.
“I’m flying, but I don’t know where I’m going,” said the mother of two, adding that she has already fled twice in the last month.
The front line near Goma lies just a few dozen meters from Lushagala and Bulgengo displaced people, raising fears among those seeking safety near the provincial capital.
Tens of thousands more have arrived in camps in Goma and its outskirts in recent weeks, already home to nearly 600,000 displaced people, according to the UN refugee agency.
The explosions of heavy weapons reverberated across Goma on Friday. Many shops and businesses remained closed and police were deployed on the city’s main streets. Military checkpoints were set up throughout the city and checked all vehicles.
