M23 rebels said they have advanced into Goma, a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced.

Authorities say the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries sustained in fighting on the front line as M23 rebels close in on Goma.

North Kivu is a province bordering Lake Kivu in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The capital city is Goma.

The M23 advance on North Kivu capital Goma, first reported last week, saw the United Nations (UN) mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) activate a quick reaction force (QRF), two battalions, a Special Forces platoon and an artillery battery to counter the offensive.

“The Secretary-General has called for all parties to respect human rights and international humanitarian law. This must be upheld to prevent further suffering,” a UNHCR representative said. Image Credit:

KINSHASA (Reuters) - The military governor of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo has died from injuries suffered on the frontline during an offensive by M23 rebels in the east, a government source and an internal UN report seen by Reuters confirmed on Friday.

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, the army said on Friday.

M23 rebels said they have advanced into Goma, a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Hundreds of thousands of residents have been displaced.

The AFC/M23 rebels early Monday, January 27, announced that they captured Goma, the capital of eastern DR Congo's North Kivu Province. The rebels announced the city's capture in a statement minutes before a 48-hour deadline imposed by the group for the Congolese army to surrender their weapons expired.

People flee the intensifying fighting in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo region of North Kivu, as the M23, a Rwanda-backed anti-government armed group, almost completely encircles the capital of North Kivu.

M23, which refers to the March 23, 2009, accord that ended a previous revolt in eastern Congo, is the latest group of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgents to take up arms against Congolese forces. It launched the current rebellion in 2022.