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RFI
Radio 30 August 2014 :
Democratic Republic
of Congo: Chantal, an employee of MSF and hostage for over a year, is finally
free.
Chantal,
one of four members of Doctors Without Borders held hostage since July 2013 in the Democratic
Republic of Congo, has regained her freedom after fourteen months in the hands
of the Ugandan rebel group ADF-Nalu, an ultra-violent group that has terrorized
civilians in North Kivu for several years.
The
young nurse, originally from Goma, is currently in the military camp of Beni
under the protection of the Congolese army.
However, MSF has still no news of her three colleagues abducted the same
day in Kamango where they were on a
mission.
It
was around 23 pm Friday night that Chantal's husband heard the news during a
brief phone conversation with his wife.
According to the few who have seen her since, Chantal is certainly safe
and sound, but thin and still very shocked by her fourteen months in detention.
Benoit
Leduc leads the Crisis MSF for the Democratic Republic of Congo. He has been
fighting since July 2013 for the release of these four employees. « The release of Chantal is very, very
good news. » he says. « In
saying this, I do not forget our three other colleagues for whom we have very
little news. It is believed that they are being held in separate groups. So Chantal was not in direct contact with our
colleagues when she was released. Our
search continues, and we think of them and their families, but also all the
other civilians who have been kidnapped in the region of Beni. »
A military
collision facilitated the escape
According
to Kinshasa, it was a skirmish between the army and a small group of ADF-Nalu
wandering in the forest that allowed this young woman of thirty years old to
escape.
Very
little information has filtered through concerning the conditions of her
detention. « As a nurse, she cared for the rebels. It was through this that she stayed
alive. » says the spokesman of the Congolese government.
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So now, I am scrambling to get everything set up for her return here to Goma, hopefully in a stressless environment. This is good work! I will also be spending a lot of time with the families of the 3 men who are still missing, assuring these families that we are continuing our search for them as intensively as before.
Happy, happy, happy!
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