Goma/Kinshasa - On Sunday 19 January, two Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) workers were slightly injured when a rocket hit the MSF garage next to the Masisi General Referral hospital in North Kivu province, Democratic Republic of Congo. On the same day, another rocket hit a latrine near the hospital. The hospital and the MSF staff base were also hit by gunshots.
Following this unacceptable situation, we are reiterating our call for respect for health and humanitarian facilities.
“We strongly condemn this shooting, which once again affected an area that should be protected under international humanitarian law,” says Stephan Goetghebuer, MSF's head of programmes in North Kivu. “Fortunately, our two colleagues were only slightly injured, but the toll could have been much higher.”
“Thousands of people are still sheltering inside the hospital and the NGOs compounds, trying to protect themselves from the clashes. We demand that immediate and strict measures be taken to guarantee the safety of the hospital, the humanitarian premises, and all the people inside,” says Goetghebuer.
We demand that immediate and strict measures be taken to guarantee the safety of the hospital, the humanitarian premises, and all the people inside.Stephan Goetghebuer, MSF's head of programmes in North Kivu
This is the second incident in four days to directly affect the Masisi General Referral hospital as clashes rage between the M23/AFC and the Congolese army, backed by allied elements, for control of the town of Masisi. On 16 January, two civilians were shot in front of the hospital, one of them fatally.
“Patients, Ministry of Health and MSF staff, and the thousands of displaced people currently living in the hospital - the vast majority of whom are women and children - are extremely worried by these repeated incidents,” says Romain Briey, MSF's field coordinator in Masisi. “Where can they protect themselves from the fighting if not in the hospital or in the humanitarian bases?”
“It is essential that the warring parties take all possible precautions to minimise the risks to civilians,” says Briey. “We would like to remind everyone that protected infrastructure – hospitals, health centres and NGO bases – must be spared from shelling and that no armed elements should be deployed near these facilities.”
MSF teams have been supporting the Ministry of Health in Masisi since 2007. MSF currently supports the Masisi General Referral hospital, the Nyabiondo Referral health centre, and several other isolated health centres.