The United Nations said Wednesday that there is relative calm in the eastern Congolese city of Goma, following several days of intense fighting between the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and the Congolese army for control of the city.

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.

"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.

A rebel alliance claimed the capture of the biggest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s mineral-rich eastern region this week, pushing back against resistance from government troops backed by regional and UN intervention forces.

Since neighboring Rwanda’s Tutsi genocide, eastern DR Congo has faced relentless war. Beyond security concerns, Kigali profits immensely from exploiting the region’s vast mineral wealth, fueling ongoing conflict and instability.

DR Congo's President Felix Tshisekedi insisted Wednesday that his troops were mounting a "vigorous" military response as Rwanda-backed fighters advanced in the east of the country.

The governor of North Kivu, Major-General Peter Cirimwami, has died in the fighting between the Congolese army and the M23. The Congolese army confirmed the death on Friday, after a meeting of the Defence Council that President Felix Tshisekedi chaired.

Kinshasa recalls diplomats from Kigali as conflict escalates between government forces, M23 rebels - Anadolu Ajansı

KINSHASA: Vandalised embassies, looted supermarkets and piles of burning tyres marked chaotic demonstrations Tuesday (Jan 28) in DR Congo's capital Kinshasa to denounce the "inaction" of the international community over the conflict raging in Goma,

After a lightning offensive, M23 rebels now control Goma, a large city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

In recent weeks, the armed conflict in the DRC between the M23/AFC and the Congolese army, backed by their allies, has flared up again in the province of North Kivu and spread to the neighbouring province of South Kivu.