MSF worker killed as deadly violence against humanitarian workers continues in Eastern DRC
The nurse based at Masisi General Referral Hospital is the second MSF staff member to be killed in Masisi town in the past two months and the third to be fatally shot in North Kivu this year.
On the evening of April 18, a health worker from international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was shot dead in his home in Masisi town, in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)'s North Kivu province, by a gunman reported to have been in military uniform.
The nurse based at Masisi General Referral Hospital is the second MSF staff member to be killed in Masisi town in the past two months and the third to be fatally shot in North Kivu this year.
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According to the organisation, two armed men dressed in military fatigues and carrying assault rifles attacked and robbed civilians in Masisi town, before breaking into the house of the nurse to rob residents.
During the incident, the attackers opened fire, fatally wounding the nurse with two shots to the chest.
"We strongly condemn this terrible act, which cost our colleague his life, and which reflects the severely deteriorating security situation we have witnessed in North and South Kivu since the beginning of the year," said Emmanuel Lampaert, MSF's country representative in the DRC.
He added that every consecutive week, his teams have been witnessing and falling victims of violent incidents targeting civilians, humanitarian workers and medical facilities. "This must stop immediately," he pleaded.
Fatal attacks1
On February 20, an MSF radio operator on duty at MSF's base in central Masisi was killed in crossfire between VDP/Wazalendo and M23/AFC fighters.
A few days later, another MSF worker was shot dead in the middle of the night at his home in Goma.
"In the past few months, other colleagues have been shot and wounded, the most recent of whom is currently hospitalised in Goma. Even in locations where armed clashes have ceased, insecurity is everywhere," says Mathilde Guého, MSF head of programmes in North Kivu.
"In addition to armed violence that directly affects our hospitals and bases, daily we are witnessing persistently high levels of crime and repeated violent incidents affecting civilians, especially at night: murders, sexual violence, gunshot wounds, extortion, home invasions, intimidation and more," he added.
MSF is now calling on the competent authorities to hold those carrying weapons accountable and to take immediate measures to ensure the safety of civilians and humanitarian workers, to combat crime and to put an end to the abuses its teams witness daily.
"We remind all parties – M23/AFC, VDP/Wazalendo, FARDC – that the protection of civilians and their property in conflict zones is a legal obligation. All relevant authorities must act urgently to uphold this responsibility," Lampaert said.
In the DRC, nearly 3,000 locally-hired and international staff work directly for MSF, alongside Ministry of Health staff, to provide medical care to vulnerable people across the country.
Other humanitarian organisations that have suffered loss of personnel in eastern DRC include the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement (IFRC), which since the beginning of the year lost 30 of its staff in the region, 27 to violence and three to accidents.
While this is happening, humanitarian organisations hope that the violence will reduce, if not cease, after the M23 and the government of DRC agreed to a ceasefire in a meeting mediated by Qatar on Wednesday.
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