The military governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province has died from gunshot wounds suffered on the front line during an offensive by M23 rebels, reports say.
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.
Major General Peter Cirimwami Nkuba, who led the province since 2023, died on Thursday, Reuters and AP news agency report citing a UN report and government officials.
The internal UN report seen by Reuters said he was injured while supervising troops 20 km (12 miles) from Goma.
Air evacuation
"It is reported that he subsequently died this morning while being taken by aircraft from Goma for further treatment," the report added.
Fighting has flared more fiercely in Congo's mineral-rich east since the start of the year as the M23 group seized control of more territory than ever before.
On Friday, the rebel Congo River Alliance (AFC), which includes M23, said they planned to take Goma, the provincial capital and home to over 1 million people.
Congo and the UN accuse neighbouring Rwanda of fuelling the three-year insurgency with its own troops and weapons. Rwanda denies this.
M23 takes its name from a March 23, 2009, agreement between the Congolese government and previous rebels. The rebels said the government had violated the deal. They say they defend Tutsi interests against ethnic Hutu militias whose leaders participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
400,000 displaced
The number of people displaced by the fighting this year has doubled to 400,000 since last week, UN refugee agency UNHCR said, warning that hospitals were nearing capacity.
"This offensive has a devastating toll on the civilian population and heightened the risk of a broader regional war," U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Thursday.
After seizing the town of Minova on Tuesday, the rebels moved into the town of Sake, around 20 km (12 miles) west of Goma. They have also attacked along the main road from the north of the city, cutting of main supply routes.
On Thursday, the Congolese government said the army had repelled the advance on Sake and was protecting Goma.
Threat to Goma
However, the UN statement condemned "the recent seizure of Sake, which increases the threat to the town of Goma."
The situation in Sake unclear on Friday. Local sources and an international charity representative, speaking on condition of anonymity, said fighting was ongoing in the area.
Heavy bombardments have forced families from at least nine tent camps on the periphery of Goma to flee into the city, UNHCR said. "Many spent last night sleeping on the streets and in green spaces across the city," spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh said in Geneva.
The M23 briefly managed to take over Goma during a previous rebellion in 2012, prompting international donors to cut aid to Rwanda. Even then, the rebels did not hold as much ground as they do now.
Congo's foreign ministry said it had requested an urgent public session of the U.N. Security Council.
"The Congolese government emphasizes that this crisis is above all the result of the Council's inaction, despite the internationalization of the conflict and the clear evidence of the Rwandan presence on Congolese soil," it said on X.
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