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.

Residents in eastern Congo’s largest city of Goma are fleeing after Rwanda-backed rebels claimed to have captured the regional hub from Congolese forces.

The current security crisis in eastern DR Congo, where M23 rebels are closing in on Goma city, "could have been averted" if the government in Kinshasa was committed to peace, Rwanda's Permanent Representative to the United Nations said on Sunday,

The Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda have broken off diplomatic ties after an escalation in fighting in eastern Congo near the border with its neighbour.

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

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.

Rwandan backed rebels have entered the city of Goma, a key city in neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo. Could the mineral rich region be in danger of tipping into all out regional conflict?

GOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) -Congolese rebels said on Sunday they had taken Goma, the biggest city in the east of the mineral-rich country, after a lightning advance that has forced thousands of people to flee and fuelled concerns of a regional war.

The military governor of Democratic Republic of Congo's North Kivu province has died from gunshot wounds suffered on the front line during an offensive by M23 rebels, the army said on Friday.

UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is alarmed by the worsening violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which has already displaced 237,000 people this year.

UNHCR is gravely concerned about the safety and security of civilians and internally displaced people (IDPs) in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), as conflict further intensifies across South and North Kivu Provinces.