As the March 23 rebel forces advances in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a Military Governor in the North Kivu Province has reportedly been shot dead by the dissidents during intense fighting at Goma.
Information from DR Congo reveals that Major General Peter Cirimwami was killed during clashes with the M23 rebels, in which he was shot on the forehead.
His tragic death is fuelling uproar in the Northern parts of the troubled country.
The general staff of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) has confirmed the sad incident over the weekend saying Major General Cirimwami was killed on Thursday night at about 21.00 hours.
According to the Forces Armées de la République Démocratique du Congo (FARDC), Major General Cirimwani was shot dead at Sake area, located some 20 kilometers from Goma, where intense fighting is taking place between the March 23 rebels and the DR Congo army.
After being shot in the head, the FARDC military governor was quickly evacuated to Kinshasa where he was confirmed dead upon arriving at the hospital.
Major General Cirimwani was appointed interim head of the army in North Kivu in October 2023.
The military official was dispatched to area to replace Lieutenant General Constant Ndima, who was recalled after the assassination of around fifty followers of a mystical-religious sect in Goma by the army unit.
FARDC, on the other hand is the state organisation responsible for defending the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The outfit was rebuilt patchily as part of the peace process which followed the end of the Second Congo War in July 2003.
It is being reported that the majority of Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) armed forces members are ground armies.
However, FARDC also has a small air force and an even smaller navy, with the three military services numbering between 144,000 and 160,000 personnel.
There have also been questions of whether the personnel serving in the FARDC have been trained enough to handle the M23 rebels and their support armies.