A wounded man waiting in Masisi hospital, where MSF carries out war surgery for both soldiers and civilians. DRC, 2007. Photo by Cedric Gerbehaye
On Thursday September 18, heavy fighting broke out between armed groups in Masisi in the province of North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thousands have been displaced by the fighting. People in the town, neighbouring villages and 12,000 displaced people living in nearby camps, first fled to Masisi and then into the bush as fighting intensified. More than half of the patients and some hospital staff also fled. Despite the insecurity, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) were able to keep Masisi Hospital running, providing emergency surgery to 17 civilians and combatants and continuing to treat 54 malnourished children. MSF is currently the only international organisation providing assistance in and around Masisi.
“This situation is yet another illustration of the violence, insecurity and repeated displacement faced by the people of North Kivu”, says Anna Halford, MSF coordinator in Masisi. “Despite a peace agreement reached in January, fighting has increased in violence and frequency. Caught up in the fighting, civilians are again forced to flee their homes in large numbers”. In addition to direct violence from shooting and attacks, the vulnerability of the population is increased by recent looting of health centres, including those in Kachuga and Busihe supported by MSF.
Fighting ceased on Friday evening and many displaced people are now returning to Masisi. MSF is currently assessing people’s needs and raising awareness of the availability of medical care, particularly important given reports of rape perpetrated by the armed groups. An assessment team will be sent to Ngungu, a village south of Masisi, where as many as 17,000 people are said to have congregated. MSF has reinforced its programmes in Kitchanga, opening two new health centres to support the ballooning population in the town, which has doubled in the last nine months as a result of the fighting. MSF is also evaluating the situation in the Minova area of South Kivu, close to the border with North Kivu, where some 5,000-10,000 people fled to escape the violence. Some wounded are being treated at Minova Hospital, where MSF has donated medical material and drugs.
Since early September, MSF has struggled to provide care in areas of active conflict in North Kivu. MSF had to relocate teams from Nyanzale and Kabizo, and partially evacuate teams from Rutshuru. Today, a reduced team is back in Nyanzale and full teams are back at work in Rutshuru and Kabizo. An emergency team is providing medical care to people newly displaced in Kanayabayonga. MSF has continued to provide care in Mweso Hospital, from which a large number of patients had to be relocated to protect them from the violence.
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In North Kivu, MSF provides free primary and secondary healthcare through support to hospitals and mobile clinics in and around Rutshuru, Nyanzale, Kabizo, Kitchanga, Mweso, and Masisi. MSF also provides water and sanitation assistance, treatment of rape victims, nutritional support, response to epidemics and vaccinations.