The village of Faradje, where one of the worst massacres took place during 2008 Christmas period. Democratic Republic of Congo 2009 © Avril Benoit/MSF
Dungu/Kinshasa, DRC/Geneva/Nairobi, February 4, 2009 – As the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues to unleash violence against the people of Haut-Uélé in north-eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the intensity of the targeted violence has prompted the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) to denounce MONUC—the United Nations peacekeeping force in eastern DRC—for its inaction in protecting the population. Tens of villages have been burned, hundreds of civilians have been stabbed or clubbed to death, and men, women, and children have been abducted.
More than 50 villages and towns across north-eastern region of the DRC have been subjected to the LRA’s murderous attacks since December 25, 2008, including Tora on January 21, Taduru on January 24, Awo on January 28, Mangba on January 30, and Ngilima on February 1. Many inhabitants have had no choice but to flee to the bush to escape further massacres. There is no one to protect them; they wait in vain for humanitarian assistance that fails to arrive because of insecurity.
| "That day should have been a holiday. It became a day of horror." |
Read the rest, including recommendations for the MONUC peacekeepers, here =>
MSF’s Haut-Uélé provides emergency care and evacuations of severely wounded people to the Dungu hospital. It also supports health centers in Doruma, Bangadi, Faradje, Ngilima, and Li-May. Mobile clinics offer care to displaced populations in the regions around Dungu. The MSF team is made up of six international and 25 Congolese staff. MSF also runs projects throughout North and South Kivu Provinces, providing emergency medical assistance, HIV/AIDS care, primary and secondary health care, and water and sanitation assistance. MSF also provides HIV/AIDS care in Kinshasa, primary and secondary healthcare in Katanga and Maniema Provinces and treatment for sexually transmitted infections in Kisangani.Recommend this Post
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