We have been affected by several incidents since the beginning of the week, some of which have limited our ability to provide people with the medical care they need. We are now preparing to send new teams to Goma and need guaranteed humanitarian access from the involved parties.
Fighting between M23, the Congolese army, and their respective allies reached Goma’s city centre earlier this week, causing panic and impacting residents. Goma, the capital city of North Kivu province, has been cut off from the rest of the world for several days, and victims of the fighting are arriving at medical facilities whenever they can.
Humanitarian and medical facilities have not been spared during the violence.
“At Kyeshero hospital, a bullet pierced the roof of the operating theatre during an operation,” says Virginie Napolitano, MSF's emergency coordinator in North Kivu, speaking from Goma. “Several of our stocks of equipment and medicines have been looted, jeopardising our medical assistance inside and outside Goma. Armed looting has also affected our colleagues in Goma. One of them was wounded by gunshot in his home during an attack. Other organisations and medical facilities have also come under fire. This is totally unacceptable.”
Despite the situation, an MSF team continues to provide care for wounded patients at Kyeshero hospital, in support of Ndosho hospital, where the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is receiving an even greater influx of wounded.
Since Thursday, 142 wounded patients have been treated at Kyeshero. On Tuesday alone, MSF received 37 injured people, half of them civilians and most civilians are women. Most of the injuries were caused by shrapnel, while other patients suffered gunshot wounds.