The governor of Congo’s province dies after fighting rebels closing in on the capital, authorities say

The governor of Eastern Congo’s North Kivi province was wounded during front-line fighting, authorities said on Friday, as M23 rebels closed in on the provincial capital.

The M23 has made major gains for the country in recent weeks, surrounding Goma, which has about two million residents and is the regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts.

The circumstances surrounding the death of Maj. Gen Peter Cirimuwami is not clear but Cirimwami, who led the forces in Round Kivu, visited the forces from Goma, on the day of his death.

His Lwesine was confirmed by a government source, a military source and a UN source Friday, all of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter. The governor died in hospital after sustaining injuries on the front line, it said.

On Thursday, panic spread in Goma as rebels seized control of the provincial capital and one of the last roads to the city remained under government control, according to a government official.

M23 is one of the 100 armed groups that have been establishing a base in the mineral-rich east of Eastern Congo, on the border with Rwanda, for decades causing the biggest conflicts in the world. More than seven million people were displaced by the war.

Earlier this month, M23 captured the villages of Minova, Katale and Masisi, west of Goma.

M23 was captured in 2012 and controlled it for more than a week.

Congolese, US and UN experts accuse Rwanda of supporting M23, which is mainly composed of ethnic Tutsis who broke away from the Congolese army ten years ago.

The Rwandan government denies the claim but last year admitted that it has troops and organized programs in eastern Congo to protect its security, pointing to the formation of Congolese forces near the border. UN experts estimate that there are 4,000 Rwandan troops in Congo.

Disagreement, conflict

The city of Goma was engulfed in bitter tension as a conflict between the Congolese armed forces and the M23 formed in the City Strait on Friday.

Fighting is centered in Kibumba, about 25 kilometers north of Goma, and around the west. More than 178,000 people have fled the M23 advance in the past two weeks.

Alliance Tventil, 25, was among the many people who fled on the way from Gake To Goma on Friday. He is sitting in his water bowl next to his things, the baby on his back, he said he is always tired of running.

“I’m running away, but I don’t know where I’m going,” said the mother of two, adding that she has already run away twice in the past month.

The front line near Goma is twelve meters from Lushagala and Bulenged people who have fled the camps, sparking fear among those seeking safety near the provincial capital.

Tens of thousands more have arrived in recent weeks in the Goma and Priphery camps, which already host nearly 600,000 people, according to the refugee agency.

Heavy artillery fire also erupted across Goma on Friday. Many shops and stores remained closed and police were deployed on the main streets of the city. Military checkpoints were established throughout the city, checking all vehicles.