The UN warned of a critical 24 hours in Goma, DRC, amid a rapidly deteriorating situation due to clashes between the army and M23 rebels.

The military governor of North Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has died from injuries sustained during fighting on the front line, local authorities say, as M23 rebel fighters close in on the provincial capital,

The United Nations is set to temporarily relocate non-essential staff from Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, amidst heightened security

The group's capture of most of Goma, the capital of North Kivu province, is a dramatic escalation in a region that has seen decades of conflict involving multiple armed groups.

Essential UN personnel are remaining on the ground, sustaining critical operations such as food distribution, medical assistance, shelter, and protection for vulnerable communities,” MONUSCO said.

Sixty-eight United Nations (UN) staff and their dependants were on Wednesday afternoon airlifted from Kigali International Airport by a UN aircraft and were believed to be headed to Entebbe in Uganda from where they would be flown to the Congolese capital Kinshasa.

The Congolese army and peacekeepers are trying to stop an M23 advance on Goma, the capital of North Kivu province.

The UN is temporarily relocating non-essential staff from Goma in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on Saturday without interrupting its operations in the country at a time heightened security concerns.

Authorities say the governor of eastern Congo’s North Kivu province has died from injuries sustained in fighting on the front line as M23 rebels close in on Goma.

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.

Fighting between Congolese forces and Rwandan-backed fighters edged closer to the major city of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is "not just a regional concern but a global responsibility," a UN spokesperson said Tuesday.