The governor of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s North-Kivu province has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, authorities said, as M23 rebels closed in on the provincial capital.
M23 made significant territorial gains in recent weeks, encircling Goma, which is home to around two million people and a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.
The circumstances around the death of Major General Peter Cirimwami were unclear.
UN troops deploy outside Goma, DR of Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)
He led army operations in the restive North Kivu, visited troops on the front line in Kasengezi, around 13 kilometres (eight miles) from Goma, on the day of his death.
His death on Thursday was confirmed by a governmental source, a military source and a UN source on Friday, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak on the matter publicly.
On Thursday, panic spread in Goma as rebels took control of Sake, a town only 27 kilometres (16 miles) from the provincial capital and one of the last main routes into the city still under government control, according to the UN chief.
M23 is one of about 100 armed groups that have been vying for a foothold in mineral-rich eastern DR of Congo, along the border with 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.
Congolese government troops deploy outside Goma, DR of Congo (Moses Sawasawa/AP)
M23 seized Goma in 2012 and controlled it for over a week.
Congo, the United States and UN experts accuse Rwanda of backing the M23, mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army over a decade ago.
Rwanda’s government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and missile systems in eastern DR of Congo to safeguard its security, pointing to a build-up of Congolese forces near the border.
UN experts estimate there are up to 4,000 Rwandan forces in DR of Congo.