M23 rebels kill Governor Peter Chiremwami
Rwandan-backed M23 rebels have reportedly killed a military governor as they advance through eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Fighting between the M23 and the DRC army has raged since the beginning of the year, with the rebels controlling more territory than ever before.
North Kivu Governor Peter Siremwami was fatally wounded by M23 fighters while visiting the front line on Thursday, according to UN documents reported by Reuters and Agence France-Presse news agencies.
The United Nations reported that more than 400,000 people have fled their homes since the beginning of this year as the M23 movement advanced toward the city of Goma.
As they moved towards Goma, the M23 captured the towns of Masisi and Minova.
Local leaders said on Thursday that more than 200 civilians had been killed in areas controlled by the M23 movement.
According to the United Nations, two children were killed when bombs fell on a camp for displaced people.
As a result of the unrest, Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi cut short his trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos, returning on Thursday for urgent security meetings with senior officials.
The fall of Goma – a city of more than a million people located near the border with Rwanda – would be a major coup for the rebels. They briefly took control of the city during the 2012 rebellion, but withdrew after reaching an agreement.
Many roads leading to the city have now been closed, raising fears that the city’s food supplies may run out.
“Goma is in a bad state, the city is suffocating, there are no more entrances or exits… These residents are suffering greatly,” Pahala Shammavu Innocent, a local union leader, told the BBC.
Espoir Ngalukiye, a member of the opposition party For the Republic, is also concerned about access to food.
“In Goma, we are not really safe,” Ngalukiye said. “No one living in Goma can tell you they don’t feel afraid.”
On Thursday, the rebels took control of the nearby town of Saki, according to the United Nations, the United Kingdom and various other sources.
But the Congolese army said it repelled the attack on Saki, which is located just 20 kilometers from Goma.
Residents of Saki and the wider region – many of whom were already displaced by the conflict – have fled their homes.
People flee, carrying mattresses and other necessities on their backs, while dozens gather in crowded wooden boats.
Thousands of terrified families fled towards Goma, where hospitals were crowded with injured civilians.
The M23 movement has controlled vast swathes of mineral-rich eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo since 2021. As a result, hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced.
Last year, there were also fears that rebels would take control of Goma. The fighting calmed down in late July, but intense fighting resumed in October and worsened by the end of the year.
The Democratic Republic of Congo and the United Nations say the M23 movement is supported by Rwanda. The Rwandan authorities did not confirm or deny this.
UN experts say that Rwanda has between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers working alongside the M23 movement in eastern Democratic Congo.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned on Friday that the current conflict threatens to escalate into a broader regional war.
A statement said that Guterres called on “all parties to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to end all forms of support for armed groups.”
