The governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, a military spokesman said Friday, as M23 rebels closed in on the provincial capital.

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

Somali President Hassan Sheikh joined regional leaders at the 26th Extraordinary Summit of the East African Community (EAC) to address the ongoing conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),

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.

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 ...

The militia seized the pivotal city of Goma, threatening a new humanitarian crisis in a region that has suffered decades of fighting.

Angolan President João Lourenço on Wednesday deplored the occupation of the city of Goma, capital of North Kivu province, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), by the M23 movement and demanded its immediate withdrawal from the illegally occupied territories.

The humanitarian situation in the DRC is worsening as fighting intensifies in the eastern part of the country. Already critical after decades of conflict, security has deteriorated further with the new offensive by M23 rebels.

A rebel alliance spearheaded by the ethnic Tutsi-led M23 militia said it had seized the lakeside city of more than 2 million people.

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

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.