DR Congo : North Kivu Governor Killed

Intense fighting has continued in North Kivu Province between DR Congo’s army and M23 rebel groups. On Friday January 24, 2025, clashes outside Goma led to the killing of the Governor of the Province, Major General Peter Cirimwami. The circumstances around the death of General Cirimwami were unclear, but reports say, General Cirimwami, led army operations in restive North Kivu in the eastern DRC, visited troops on the front line in Kasengezi, about 13km from Goma, on Thursday before being killed on Friday. His death was confirmed by government, military and UN sources. The UK, US, France and other western countries have urged their citizens to leave the main city in the country's volatile east, warning the situation could deteriorate rapidly.
Since peace talks failed, the militia group backed by Rwandan troops has gained swathes of territory in mineral-rich eastern DR Congo in recent weeks, triggering a humanitarian crisis and ringing the provincial capital, which is home to a million people. Earlier this month, the M23 rebels seized the towns of Minova, Katale and Masisi. At the start of last week, they encircled Goma, which has a population of about 2 million people and is a regional hub for security and humanitarian efforts. On Thursday, there was panic in Goma as they took control of Sake, a town 27km northwest of the provincial capital and on a road that is one of the last main routes into the city still under government control, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Meanwhile, South Africa, Malawi and Urugu...