Congo blames Rwanda for death of North Kivu governor
Kinshasa recalls diplomats from Kigali as conflict escalates between government forces, M23 rebels
KIGALI, Rwanda
Authorities in Congo blamed Rwanda on Saturday for the death of the North Kivu governor which was confirmed Friday.
Military spokesperson Gen. Sylvain Ekenge said that Gen. Peter Cirimwami was “killed by a Rwandan army sniper” while accompanying the commander of the 34th military region to galvanize troops.
“This was the 25th assassination attempt against him,” said Ekenge, according to a video news conference.
He said one of his bodyguards was also killed in the attack, while two were injured but are out of danger.
The M23 rebel group recently intensified fighting in eastern Congo, seizing key towns and forcing many to flee their homes after a ceasefire agreed upon in July at a ministerial meeting between Congo and Rwanda under the mediation of the Angolan leader, was violated.
Ekenge said fighting continues around Goma, the provincial capital, adding that with the support of UN mission peacekeepers (MONUSCO) and troops from the Southern African Development Community Mission in Congo (SAMIDRC), government forces managed to repel the rebels who are trying to seize the town.
Kinshasa, meanwhile, recalled all of its diplomats in Kigali and ordered the cessation of activities of the Rwandan Embassy in Kinshasa within 48 hours, signaling a total severing of relations between the two neighboring countries, according to a statement by the Congolese Foreign Ministry.
“All diplomatic and consular activities of the Embassy of the Republic of Rwanda in Kinshasa cease within 48 hours,” according to a statement issued Saturday.
There was no reaction from Rwanda on the death claims.
But Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe said in a tweet that “the last Rwandan diplomat stationed in Kinshasa, under permanent threat from Congolese officials, had already left the Congolese capital.”
Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting the M23 rebels, a claim that Rwandan President Paul Kagame has frequently denied.
UN refugee agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Matthew Saltmarsh told a UN briefing in Geneva on Friday that the number of people displaced has now surged to more than 400,000 in 2025 alone.
