Peter Cirimwami

Peter Cirimwami Nkuba (died 24 January 2025) was a Congolese military officer and governor who served as the governor of North Kivu province from September 2023 until he was killed in action in January 2025 while fighting the M23 rebels during the latter's campaign.

Biography Peter Cirimwami Nkuba was born in South Kivu and belonged to the Abashi ethnic group. He had a long career in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC). Over the course of his service, he mostly oversaw operations in the eastern Congo.

On 24 July 2020, Major General Jacques Nduru Ytshaligonza transferred command of the Sokola I operational sector to Cirimwami Nkuba who had previously served as his subordinate. In 2022, he was made commander of the Sokola II operational sector, overseeing counterinsurgency operations in North and South Kivu. In this role, he headed the government forces during the operations against a renewed M23 rebellion.

In September 2023, the Military Governor of North Kivu, Constant Ndima Kongba, was dismissed from his post due to the deadly suppression of a religious sect by his troops. Cirimwami Nkuba was appointed his successor. Over the next months, he rallied various militias -most notably FDLR and Wazalendo- to assist the FARDC against M23. He allegedly also closely cooperated with the Burundian military which had opted to assist the FARDC against M23. On the next day, Cirimwami Nkuba was shot at approximately 9:00 p.m. in Sake, overseeing the local frontline. Cirimwami was subsequently evacuated to Kinshasa, where his death was confirmed. The FARDC subsequently declared that a state funeral would be held for him, and that he would be posthumously promoted to lieutenant general.