Rising chaos in DR Congo’s Bukavu, civilians caught in crossfire as M23 rebels advance
As the city of Bukavu tries to recover from the violence, human rights groups and medical organisations are calling for immediate international assistance.
Patients in hospitals in Bukavu, the second-largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have shared disturbing accounts of how they sustained serious injuries during the chaotic withdrawal of the Congolese army and its allies, days before M23 rebels marched in.
According to the Guardian, there was widespread shooting and looting after the rebels arrived in Bukavu, the capital of South of Kivu province, on February 14, overwhelming the city's poorly resourced hospitals.
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"I was lying on my bed at home, near Katana. All of a sudden, a bullet hit me [in the shin] and I started bleeding," said 22-year-old Priscilla Nabintu from her bed in Bukavu's general hospital.
The facility near Lake Kivu was still very busy on Monday. Two blocks had been set aside for people with gunshot and shrapnel injuries, pieces of a bomb, shell, or bullet that had exploded.
Mugisho Shalukoma, 20, was recovering from a leg amputation, the result of gunshot wounds.
"I felt my foot getting harder and harder. I didn't see the person who shot me. Those around me brought me here," he told the Guardian.
Ghislaine Ntakwinja, 41, said she was in her house when unidentified gunmen shot her in her right hand.
"Guns were ringing out in the city. I heard armed men open my house's door. They had guns. That's when they shot me," she said, sitting on her bed.
Her children rushed her to hospital.
People collecting weapons
As M23 closed in on Bukavu, reports emerged of people collecting weapons and military equipment left by retreating Congolese forces.
Deogracias Chibambo, a human rights activist with the Ça Suffit (That's Enough) civic engagement group, told the Guardian that the situation is very chaotic, with weapons circulating freely and creating an environment of fear and destruction.
"There was general panic. Bullets were being fired in many places," Chibambo said, highlighting the unrestrained violence that gripped the city as both armed groups and civilians found themselves under threat.
The violence led to significant casualties, especially among vulnerable groups.
Last week, the UN human rights office reported that M23 rebels had killed three children in Bukavu after they refused to surrender weapons and uniforms taken from an abandoned Congolese military camp.
The children, who were carrying firearms and wearing military attire, were reportedly shot when they resisted the rebels' orders. However, M23 has denied the accusations, calling them "propaganda" from the Congolese government.
Hospitals overwhelmed
The impact of the war on Bukavu's healthcare system has been severe.
Esperance Mwamini Birindwa, a nurse with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), shared the gravity of the situation at the city's general hospital, which treated 162 patients with injuries related to the M23 takeover between February 14 and 24.
Of those admitted with gunshot wounds and shrapnel injuries, three have died.
According to the government, 7,000 people have lost their lives since January and almost half a million are homeless after 90 displacement camps were destroyed in the fighting in eastern Congo.
The United Nations also said that by Friday, 60,000 people had fled into Burundi in the last two weeks.
"The number of casualties continues to rise. We are doing all we can, but our resources are stretched thin," said Birindwa.
She added that the hospital was struggling to cope with the surge in cases, many of which involved serious injuries that required urgent care.
A call for action
As the city of Bukavu tries to recover from the violence, human rights groups and medical organisations are calling for immediate international assistance to help alleviate the strain on local hospitals and provide much-needed support to civilians who have been caught in the crossfire.
The Guardian states that the International Committee of the Red Cross is facing supply challenges caused by the conflict, hindering its ability to treat wounded people.
The organisation also said that one of their main warehouses north of Kivu was looted and vandalised during the fighting in the city last month.
They said that their medicine and other equipment were stolen. The fighting has also caused logistical challenges and disrupted transport routes.
"Despite all our efforts, evacuations sometimes take longer than expected because of access difficulties," said ICRC project manager Emmanuel Konin.
"Some patients whose lives we could have tried to save are already dead from their injuries."
Last week on Thursday, at least 13 people were killed in a mass rally that was held by M23 in the city centre and others suffered injuries.
The rebels later blamed the Congolese authorities for staging the attack, while the DR Congo army said Rwandan troops had fired rockets and grenades into the crowd.
The situation in Bukavu serves as a stark reminder of the growing humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, as civilians continue to suffer during ongoing armed conflict.
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