from JEAN KASSONGO in Kinshasa, DRC
KINSHASA, (CAJ News) – MILITANTS have destroyed the only remaining hospital in a volatile region in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The hospital operated by the Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has been destroyed in the Boga village, over 40 kilometres from Bunia in Ituri Province, where ten civilians were killed.
Several buildings were burnt down, including the intensive care unit, pharmacy and medical reserves were looted.
Nine wounded people have been admitted to the nearest Gety General Hospital, which is also supported by MSF.
It was the last remaining healthcare facility in the health zone for the more than 80 000 people who relied on it.
MSF had coordinated this hospital’s construction between 2017 and 2020, as a response to the dire lack of healthcare services in the health zone.
“Everything went up in smoke in a matter of hours even as we were tirelessly claiming how vital this facility is for the region’s inhabitants,” said Frédéric Lai Manantsoa, MSF head of mission in DRC.
In the past few months, MSF consistently raised the alarm about rising insecurity.
“Hospitals in conflict zones must remain protected and neutral spaces. Everyone involved in the conflicts in Ituri must respect patients and healthcare workers’ humanitarian action,” said Manantsoa.
Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) is blamed for the attacks.
At least 330 people have been killed since January.
Security conditions in the eastern DRC have worsened in recent months, prompting the government to enact a state of siege in North Kivu and Ituri provinces 30, along with the replacement of the civilian administration with a military one.
– CAJ News