Things have heated up here in Congo. The fighting between the government troops and the CNDP (the major rebel group here) have intensified, and even the UN Monuc troops (who are usually only in an observer role) has gotten involved.
The combat arrived at the doors of Goma, where I am, Wednesday. We wanted to do a partial evacuation then but we were caught a little too late. We closed down the office early and all the expats and relocated staff went together to our first house. With the police gone, and the military having fled, it was a night of looting, vendettas, and general mayhem everywhere. We heard shooting all evening, starting around 6:00pm. Around 9:00pm when a round of machinegun fire was heard VERY close, all 10 of us at the house fled to the “safe room”, one of the bedrooms with no windows exposed to the outside, metal doors which bolt from the inside, a stock of food and a ham radio. Since the room is about 10 ft x 10 ft, let’s say that the night for the 10 of us together was very intimate!
Thursday morning, we did a partial evacuation of 5 of us (yes, I am in the group). We didn’t go far – just across the border into Rwanda – about 7 miles. But the border crossing (exit stamp, entrance visa, payment of an exit visa for the car and customs of a lot of baggage – including a case of sensitive documents we brought with us) took about 1 ½ hours. We are pretty worried about our colleagues still in Goma because apparently there was heavy artillery fire there this afternoon. We’re not sure how long we will be here, but we can still work and communicate with the other sites, some of which are also in evacuation, now that we have found an internet café close to our guest house.
We are not sure how this will end. The CNDP said Wednesday evening that they wouldn’t attack Goma. Then Thursday evening Laurent Nkunda, head of the CNDP announced that no one would keep him from taking Goma. No one knows if they have the capacity to hold onto the positions they have already taken. No one knows either if the Congolese government has the power to retake those position. At any rate, whatever happens, MSF will have a lot of work waiting for us as soon as we can put all our people back into place.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Sunday, October 26, 2008
26 October 2008
Happy DSD reunion for the Californians!
I sent off my quarterly budget review Wednesday, asking for a 7% increase to finish the year. This is always a traumatic exercise – it took me about 3 weeks to put the whole thing together, while dealing with the usual stuff (already a 12 hour a day job) plus an outbreak of cholera.
It has been pretty quiet for a couple of weeks, but fighting broke out again early this morning about 40 kilometers from here – the objective is a government military camp, which was taken by a rebel group this afternoon. It is on the road between Goma, the district capital where I am, and Rutshuru where our biggest project is. This is also the route we use to supply all our projects in terms of medical supplies, logistics supplies, money, etc. So we hope that the situation is the same as a month ago – the rebels took the camp, stole all the arms and left quickly.
If all goes well, I should go to Kabizo on Tuesday for a couple of nights. This is a site which we evacuated at the end of September. The objective of the visit is to see if we can return the expats and non-local national staff. Apparently, even 90% of the local population left the area, leaving only the refugee camp full - they have no where else to go. We have been back a couple of times for day trips, but this time we had hoped that the logistician, Anne, and I could spend a couple of nights there to evaluate the security situation, see what the needs are to put the program back into regular running order, and pay the few local staff who are still there. With the fighting, which is much closer to Kabizo (which is a rebel enclave) than here, our trip is very uncertain
Never a dull moment.
I sent off my quarterly budget review Wednesday, asking for a 7% increase to finish the year. This is always a traumatic exercise – it took me about 3 weeks to put the whole thing together, while dealing with the usual stuff (already a 12 hour a day job) plus an outbreak of cholera.
It has been pretty quiet for a couple of weeks, but fighting broke out again early this morning about 40 kilometers from here – the objective is a government military camp, which was taken by a rebel group this afternoon. It is on the road between Goma, the district capital where I am, and Rutshuru where our biggest project is. This is also the route we use to supply all our projects in terms of medical supplies, logistics supplies, money, etc. So we hope that the situation is the same as a month ago – the rebels took the camp, stole all the arms and left quickly.
If all goes well, I should go to Kabizo on Tuesday for a couple of nights. This is a site which we evacuated at the end of September. The objective of the visit is to see if we can return the expats and non-local national staff. Apparently, even 90% of the local population left the area, leaving only the refugee camp full - they have no where else to go. We have been back a couple of times for day trips, but this time we had hoped that the logistician, Anne, and I could spend a couple of nights there to evaluate the security situation, see what the needs are to put the program back into regular running order, and pay the few local staff who are still there. With the fighting, which is much closer to Kabizo (which is a rebel enclave) than here, our trip is very uncertain
Never a dull moment.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Explanations of North Kivu Facts Sheet & Press Release
The two preceding postings concern a press release sent to the world press by MSF yesterday. The first explains the involvement of MSF - all operational sections (France, Belgium, Holland, Spain, Switzerland) - in this region of Congo. The preceding one is the press release explaining the current events here and our concerns.
Anne Taylor, mentioned in the article is my boss.
Anne Taylor, mentioned in the article is my boss.
North Kivu Facts Sheet - MSF
MSF ACTIVITIES IN NORTH KIVU - FACTSHEET
MSF provides primary and secondary healthcare in North Kivu in and around Rutshuru, Masisi, and Lubero districts. MSF supports hospitals in Rutshuru, Mweso, Masisi and Kitchanga as well as surrounding health centres, and runs a network of mobile clinics. MSF teams also provide medical care to victims of violent trauma and of sexual violence and treats children for malnutrition. In some areas MSF has opened new health posts to provide care for the increasing number of people fleeing the violence. Mobile teams are doing assessments and providing medical assistance in new areas, including Ngungu in North Kivu and Minova, in South Kivu. MSF teams are also monitoring the situation in the camps to prevent outbreaks. MSF teams respond to potential cholera epidemics and carry out vaccination campaigns against measles. MSF has been continuously present in the North Kivu since 1981.
RUTSHURU DISTRICT
Rutshuru town area
MSF has been working in the Rutshuru reference hospital since August 2005 providing secondary health care, including surgical, medical, paediatric care and specialised care to victims of sexual violence. The hospital capacity has been increased to 220 beds. The number of surgical interventions per day during the first nine months of the year has increased in comparison with previous years to an average of 12 per day (3 in 2006). Between January and September, MSF teams have performed 2,777 surgical interventions and 7,359 emergency room consultations. In June, 832 patients have been admitted to hospital. Between January and June, an average of 87 victims of sexual violence have been treated each month. Between January and September, MSF has treated 158 war wounded at the Rutshuru hospital; 36 in September alone. Between January and September, MSF has also treated 1,469 people for cholera.
In Nyanzale, MSF conducted 2,320 consultations in June. From January until June, MSF treated more than 1,300 malnourished children (776 treated in ambulatories and 585 hospitalised). Between January and June, an average of 450 victims of sexual violence have been treated each month.
In Kabizo, MSF is normally conducting medical consultations (1,590 in June), and hospitalises IDPs and residents in a 16-bed centre. MSF teams also treat victims of sexual violence and malnourished children.
LUBERO DISTRICT
In Kayna and Kanyabayonga, MSF is providing assistance to thousands of people fleeing the conflict since the 20th of September. During the first ten days of activity, MSF teams already treated 140 victims of sexual violence and 15 war wounded.
With thousands of displaced persons constantly on the move, from all these sites, MSF also supports a network of health centres, has set up a system of mobile clinics and has regularly conducted measles vaccination.
MASISI DISTRICT
Masisi town area
Since August last year, MSF has been supporting the hospital in Masisi, whose capacity has been increased from 70 to 120 beds. MSF medical teams provide secondary healthcare in the hospital, including life-saving surgery, and support a health centre in town, where they provide primary healthcare. MSF has also set up a 25-bed structure that welcomes pregnant women before they give birth.
To respond to the needs of the displaced population in the area, MSF has set up a system of four mobile clinics with an adequate referral system. MSF raises awareness about the need to provide medical and psychological care to victims of sexual violence in seven locations.
During the month of September, 55 victims of sexual violence have been treated. During the same month, MSF also treated 25 people for violent trauma.
Mweso and Kitchanga area
MSF supports the St. Benoit hospital in Kitchanga since 2007, and the hospital in Mweso since April 2008.
MSF also supports a network of health centres and, since January of this year, has significantly extended the programme to provide assistance to people affected by the conflict in the Masisi districts. MSF supports health centres in Kirolirwe, Bukama, Kachuga and Kalembe since 2007. Since January 2008, MSF supports the health centre in Pinga and Mpeti and, since April, Kanyatsi. Mobile clinics go weekly to Malemo and Busihe.
During the first eight months of the year, 2,703 people have been hospitalised, 2,069 women have given birth and 11,698 women have received antenatal care. MSF medical teams have conducted 94,094 external consultations (30,239 for children under 5 years), and have treated 18,103 cases of malaria. MSF surgical teams have conducted 384 operations, 306 of them urgent. MSF has also treated 2,354 malnourished children, and 377 have been hospitalized.
GOMA DISTRICT
Tens of thousands of people are thought to be living in camps outside Goma, with several thousand more finding accommodation with host families. MSF is working with the Ministry of Health to treat and contain cholera. Cholera is endemic in DRC and MSF teams will normally see a number of cases in North Kivu every year. MSF has treated 1,480 cases of cholera from January until September.
MSF has 62 international staff and 716 national staff currently working in North Kivu.
MSF has been working in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1981.
MSF provides primary and secondary healthcare in North Kivu in and around Rutshuru, Masisi, and Lubero districts. MSF supports hospitals in Rutshuru, Mweso, Masisi and Kitchanga as well as surrounding health centres, and runs a network of mobile clinics. MSF teams also provide medical care to victims of violent trauma and of sexual violence and treats children for malnutrition. In some areas MSF has opened new health posts to provide care for the increasing number of people fleeing the violence. Mobile teams are doing assessments and providing medical assistance in new areas, including Ngungu in North Kivu and Minova, in South Kivu. MSF teams are also monitoring the situation in the camps to prevent outbreaks. MSF teams respond to potential cholera epidemics and carry out vaccination campaigns against measles. MSF has been continuously present in the North Kivu since 1981.
RUTSHURU DISTRICT
Rutshuru town area
MSF has been working in the Rutshuru reference hospital since August 2005 providing secondary health care, including surgical, medical, paediatric care and specialised care to victims of sexual violence. The hospital capacity has been increased to 220 beds. The number of surgical interventions per day during the first nine months of the year has increased in comparison with previous years to an average of 12 per day (3 in 2006). Between January and September, MSF teams have performed 2,777 surgical interventions and 7,359 emergency room consultations. In June, 832 patients have been admitted to hospital. Between January and June, an average of 87 victims of sexual violence have been treated each month. Between January and September, MSF has treated 158 war wounded at the Rutshuru hospital; 36 in September alone. Between January and September, MSF has also treated 1,469 people for cholera.
In Nyanzale, MSF conducted 2,320 consultations in June. From January until June, MSF treated more than 1,300 malnourished children (776 treated in ambulatories and 585 hospitalised). Between January and June, an average of 450 victims of sexual violence have been treated each month.
In Kabizo, MSF is normally conducting medical consultations (1,590 in June), and hospitalises IDPs and residents in a 16-bed centre. MSF teams also treat victims of sexual violence and malnourished children.
LUBERO DISTRICT
In Kayna and Kanyabayonga, MSF is providing assistance to thousands of people fleeing the conflict since the 20th of September. During the first ten days of activity, MSF teams already treated 140 victims of sexual violence and 15 war wounded.
With thousands of displaced persons constantly on the move, from all these sites, MSF also supports a network of health centres, has set up a system of mobile clinics and has regularly conducted measles vaccination.
MASISI DISTRICT
Masisi town area
Since August last year, MSF has been supporting the hospital in Masisi, whose capacity has been increased from 70 to 120 beds. MSF medical teams provide secondary healthcare in the hospital, including life-saving surgery, and support a health centre in town, where they provide primary healthcare. MSF has also set up a 25-bed structure that welcomes pregnant women before they give birth.
To respond to the needs of the displaced population in the area, MSF has set up a system of four mobile clinics with an adequate referral system. MSF raises awareness about the need to provide medical and psychological care to victims of sexual violence in seven locations.
During the month of September, 55 victims of sexual violence have been treated. During the same month, MSF also treated 25 people for violent trauma.
Mweso and Kitchanga area
MSF supports the St. Benoit hospital in Kitchanga since 2007, and the hospital in Mweso since April 2008.
MSF also supports a network of health centres and, since January of this year, has significantly extended the programme to provide assistance to people affected by the conflict in the Masisi districts. MSF supports health centres in Kirolirwe, Bukama, Kachuga and Kalembe since 2007. Since January 2008, MSF supports the health centre in Pinga and Mpeti and, since April, Kanyatsi. Mobile clinics go weekly to Malemo and Busihe.
During the first eight months of the year, 2,703 people have been hospitalised, 2,069 women have given birth and 11,698 women have received antenatal care. MSF medical teams have conducted 94,094 external consultations (30,239 for children under 5 years), and have treated 18,103 cases of malaria. MSF surgical teams have conducted 384 operations, 306 of them urgent. MSF has also treated 2,354 malnourished children, and 377 have been hospitalized.
GOMA DISTRICT
Tens of thousands of people are thought to be living in camps outside Goma, with several thousand more finding accommodation with host families. MSF is working with the Ministry of Health to treat and contain cholera. Cholera is endemic in DRC and MSF teams will normally see a number of cases in North Kivu every year. MSF has treated 1,480 cases of cholera from January until September.
MSF has 62 international staff and 716 national staff currently working in North Kivu.
MSF has been working in the Democratic Republic of Congo since 1981.
MSF press release
War in North Kivu (DRC)
The international community is failing to provide adequate assistance and protection to the population
Goma, 6 October 2008 – In the most volatile parts of DRC’s North Kivu province, violence has reached its highest levels in years, while assistance is hardly reaching those most in need, the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes since full-scale war resumed at the end of August and are living in fear, without the means to meet their most basic needs.
The international community has failed to address the on-going conflict in the region as a priority. Even though one of the largest peacekeeping forces in the world is currently deployed in DRC, the United Nations peacekeeping force (MONUC) is clearly failing to fulfil its mandate to protect the civilian population in North Kivu.
Most UN agencies and NGOs are also failing to provide an adequate humanitarian response whereas the already disastrous humanitarian situation is dramatically deteriorating. Despite the presence of a large number of humanitarian organisations in Goma, the province’s capital, few are active in the areas most affected by the war.
Many people who now need assistance have been forced to flee several times. They have repeatedly lost their homes and belongings – often as a result of looting – and are losing their capacity to cope. In addition to the extensive needs of the population – food, shelter, access to water, medical care and protection – the risk of epidemics is high, and many health clinics have been looted.
Some of the people who flee reach relatively established camps, while others gather in isolated pockets of calm or with host families. Still others have become ‘invisible’ – hiding in the bush, trapped between armed groups. "We were assisting over 100,000 displaced persons in Nyanzale and Kabizo. We have no idea where they have fled in the past few weeks”, says Anne Taylor, MSF Head of Mission in Goma. “Only 25,000 people arrived in Kayna and Kanyabayonga. Where are the others? We are extremely worried about their fate."
In other areas, MSF found groups of newly displaced people. In Ngungu, thousands are living in terrible conditions, without any health care. Thousands of people also arrived in Kitchanga during the last weeks. “Reaching these people is extremely difficult because of the volatile security context and because they are constantly on the move,” says Anne Taylor. “But it is not impossible. We just keep trying and trying until we can find them and provide some vital assistance. But we are aware that we are only dealing with a small part of this humanitarian catastrophe: hundreds of thousands are out of reach.”
In North Kivu, MSF teams are currently working in and around Rutshuru, Nyanzale, Kayna, Kanyabayonga, Kitchanga, Mweso and Masisi. Mobile teams are doing assessments and providing medical assistance in new areas, including Ngungu in North Kivu and Minova, in South Kivu. MSF has 62 international staff and 716 national staff working in North Kivu.
For further information, please contact:
Andrea Pontiroli, MSF communication officer in North Kivu
+243 817100003 / +88216 50360889
The international community is failing to provide adequate assistance and protection to the population
Goma, 6 October 2008 – In the most volatile parts of DRC’s North Kivu province, violence has reached its highest levels in years, while assistance is hardly reaching those most in need, the international medical organisation Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Monday. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes since full-scale war resumed at the end of August and are living in fear, without the means to meet their most basic needs.
The international community has failed to address the on-going conflict in the region as a priority. Even though one of the largest peacekeeping forces in the world is currently deployed in DRC, the United Nations peacekeeping force (MONUC) is clearly failing to fulfil its mandate to protect the civilian population in North Kivu.
Most UN agencies and NGOs are also failing to provide an adequate humanitarian response whereas the already disastrous humanitarian situation is dramatically deteriorating. Despite the presence of a large number of humanitarian organisations in Goma, the province’s capital, few are active in the areas most affected by the war.
Many people who now need assistance have been forced to flee several times. They have repeatedly lost their homes and belongings – often as a result of looting – and are losing their capacity to cope. In addition to the extensive needs of the population – food, shelter, access to water, medical care and protection – the risk of epidemics is high, and many health clinics have been looted.
Some of the people who flee reach relatively established camps, while others gather in isolated pockets of calm or with host families. Still others have become ‘invisible’ – hiding in the bush, trapped between armed groups. "We were assisting over 100,000 displaced persons in Nyanzale and Kabizo. We have no idea where they have fled in the past few weeks”, says Anne Taylor, MSF Head of Mission in Goma. “Only 25,000 people arrived in Kayna and Kanyabayonga. Where are the others? We are extremely worried about their fate."
In other areas, MSF found groups of newly displaced people. In Ngungu, thousands are living in terrible conditions, without any health care. Thousands of people also arrived in Kitchanga during the last weeks. “Reaching these people is extremely difficult because of the volatile security context and because they are constantly on the move,” says Anne Taylor. “But it is not impossible. We just keep trying and trying until we can find them and provide some vital assistance. But we are aware that we are only dealing with a small part of this humanitarian catastrophe: hundreds of thousands are out of reach.”
In North Kivu, MSF teams are currently working in and around Rutshuru, Nyanzale, Kayna, Kanyabayonga, Kitchanga, Mweso and Masisi. Mobile teams are doing assessments and providing medical assistance in new areas, including Ngungu in North Kivu and Minova, in South Kivu. MSF has 62 international staff and 716 national staff working in North Kivu.
For further information, please contact:
Andrea Pontiroli, MSF communication officer in North Kivu
+243 817100003 / +88216 50360889
Saturday, October 04, 2008
October Posting
Since my last message, we had to evacuate all our expatriates and non-local staff from 2 of our 4 projects in North Kivu. But they haven’t been idle – they are following the status of the population fleeing the combat. We have set up mobile clinics in 4 new sites to treat these people medically. Three of these clinics are in the same sites in which we set up under the same circumstances when I was here in 2006!
In fact, last Friday I was on my way to our Nyanzalé project, but during the 4 hour car trip Nyanzalé evacuated. Instead of returning to Goma, we decided that I should continue to Kayna, where we have set up a base to follow the population movements and treat the displaced people just south of there. Kayna is where I spent my first mission of 8 months in 2005-2006. It felt like going home! I did a lot of set-up work for the project, but I also had the opportunity to renew friendships with people I hadn’t seen in 2 ½ years.
The fighting has calmed down temporarily in most spots, but the situation is far from stable. In Rutshuru the full team is back in place since last Monday, the team from Nyanzalé returned to that site yesterday, but the Kabizo team (in accordance with our neutrality policy, this project is in the heart of one of the rebel zones) is split between Kayna and a new mobile clinic for the displaced not far from us here in Goma.
We just finished a measles vaccination campaign in the southeast of the country (vaccinating around 25000 children before the beginning of the rainy season) this past week, which has freed up some resources (personnel, cars). This is fortunate because they were sorely needed to help with the activities listed above.
In fact, last Friday I was on my way to our Nyanzalé project, but during the 4 hour car trip Nyanzalé evacuated. Instead of returning to Goma, we decided that I should continue to Kayna, where we have set up a base to follow the population movements and treat the displaced people just south of there. Kayna is where I spent my first mission of 8 months in 2005-2006. It felt like going home! I did a lot of set-up work for the project, but I also had the opportunity to renew friendships with people I hadn’t seen in 2 ½ years.
The fighting has calmed down temporarily in most spots, but the situation is far from stable. In Rutshuru the full team is back in place since last Monday, the team from Nyanzalé returned to that site yesterday, but the Kabizo team (in accordance with our neutrality policy, this project is in the heart of one of the rebel zones) is split between Kayna and a new mobile clinic for the displaced not far from us here in Goma.
We just finished a measles vaccination campaign in the southeast of the country (vaccinating around 25000 children before the beginning of the rainy season) this past week, which has freed up some resources (personnel, cars). This is fortunate because they were sorely needed to help with the activities listed above.
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