An MSF measles vaccination program used for military purposes in North Kivu

Press release Kinshasa, 6 November 2009: Seven sites of a vaccination campaign by Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) in North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, recently found themselves under fire in attacks by the Congolese army against one of the major rebel groups, the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) .

Assisting the national health service, MSF began a mass vaccination campaign Saturday, the 17th of October 2009 in the territory of Masisi in response to a measles epidemic. The medical teams of MSF were vaccinating thousands of children in Ngomashi and Kimua, areas controlled by the FDLR. Although they had received guarantees of security by all the parties involved in this conflict for the vaccination in these areas and at this time, the Congolese army launched the attacks at each of the seven sites of vaccination. All of the people who had come to have their children vaccinated fled the intense battles and are now under safety. The MSF teams had to stop their activities in these areas and have been repatriated to the city of Goma.

“We feel that we were used as bait.” explained Christopher Stokes, General Director of MSF. “The attacks coincided with the beginning of the vaccination campaign and the MSF teams, as well as thousands of civilians, found themselves trapped under fire. These attacks represent an extreme risk to the lives of civilians, and an unacceptable utilisation of humanitarian actions to serve military objectives. How will the population consider MSF from now on? Will our patients still feel that they are under security with us? We have chosen to strongly denounce this situation, because our neutrality has been compromised.”

MSF is an independent medical humanitarian organization which provides medical services without discrimination and in strict respect to the principle of neutrality. This neutrality permits MSF teams to vaccinate in areas controlled by the FDLR, which are inaccessible to personnel of the national health system.

The last few months have seen an augmentation of attacks against humanitarian organizations by different armed groups in North and South Kivu.

“MSF asks all parties in this conflict to respect the work of humanitarian organizations”, adds Meinie Nicolai, MSF director of operations. “It is the population who pay the consequences. Already exhausted by the extreme violence and incessant displacements, today they risk being cut off from humanitarian aid.

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165 000 children between the ages of 6 months to 15 years have been vaccinated against measles as of today. In the territory of Masisi, MSF aids a hospital and a health center, and provides mobile health clinics and vaccination campaigns. MSF also provides health services in the territories of Walikale, Rutshuru and Lubero, as well as in the province of South Kivu. MSF has been working in North Kivu since 1992.