The governor of eastern Congo’s North-Kivu province has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, authorities said Friday, as M23 rebels closed in on the provincial capital. M23 made significant territorial gains in recent weeks,

Fighting has escalated sharply in recent weeks in eastern Congo, where rebels have seized key towns and are closing in on the city of Goma, the government’s last stronghold in the North Kivu province,

"In Goma there are 2 million people in need," local Church sources, who asked not to be named for security reasons, told Fides. "At least a million of them are displaced from other areas of North Kivu previously affected by the war.

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s government says the Rwanda-backed rebels’ advance constitutes a “declaration of war."

Goma, Congo — Residents in eastern Congo’s largest city, Goma, were fleeing on Monday after Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured the regional hub from Congolese forces as fighting escalated despite calls from the U.N. Security Council for the insurgents to withdraw.

The M23 militia, funded and directed by Rwanda, said it had seized the city of Goma, terrifying its people, many of whom sought shelter there after fleeing the rebel advance.

The M23 rebels in eastern DR Congo have said they will march on Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, on Monday, January 27, if government forces (FARDC) do not lay down their weapons.

The M23 group is one of about 100 armed factions vying for a foothold in eastern Congo in one of Africa’s longest wars, which has displaced 4.5 million people.

The governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries ... Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Christina Malkia in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed ...

GOMA, Congo — The governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries ... Banchereau reported from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writer Christina Malkia in Kinshasa ...

In Lubero territory, in North Kivu, the conflict resumed in December ... We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.

Some 400,000 people have been displaced in North and South Kivu since the beginning of this ... We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC.