The military governor of Democratic Republic of Congo’s North Kivu province, Maj.-Gen. Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, has d!ed from gunshot wounds suffered on the front line during an offensive by M23 rebels, the army said Friday
The rebels are advancing on two fronts near the provincial capital Goma in the nation’s turbulent east, where tens of thousands are fleeing and the UN is warning that the violence could spill into a wider regional war.
The UN Security Council will meet on Monday to discuss the situation, diplomats said.
Maj.-Gen. Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who led the province since 2023, has died, army spokesman Sylvain Ekenge said at a press briefing.
An internal UN report seen by Reuters said he was injured while supervising troops 20 km (12 miles) from Goma.
Ekenge said Nkuba was wounded “on the field” and evacuated to the capital Kinshasa, where he succumbed to his injuries.
He did not provide any further details on the circumstances.
Fighting has flared more fiercely in Congo’s mineral-rich east since the start of the year as the Tutsi-led M23 group seized control of more territory than ever before.
After seizing the town of Minova on Tuesday, the rebels moved into the town of Sake, around 20 km (12 miles) west of Goma, the provincial capital and home to more than one million people.
They have also attacked along the main road from the north of the city, cutting off main supply routes.
On Friday, the rebel Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes M23, said they planned to take Goma.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Congo, MONUSCO, said that its heavy artillery had carried out fire missions over the past 48 hours against M23 positions in Sake, and repositioned its forces to strategic locations to reinforce its deployment in and around Goma.
Nine peacekeepers have been injured, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Friday.
Congo and the UN accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the three-year insurgency with its own troops and weapons.
Rwanda has denied this.
(Reuters/NAN)
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