Elke Felleisen just returned from Goma, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). For the last 10 months, she has been working as a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) medical coordinator in the conflict-stricken Kivu region of northeastern DRC. Her mission has come to an end, but the conflict rages on.

“The fact that my departure coincided with a new increase in violence in the Kivu region, of course, didn’t make it easy for me to leave. Yet, what we are witnessing in and around Goma these days is not new to us. Large-scale displacement and ongoing violence have become a sad reality in DRC — what is changing are only the frontlines, not the conflict. The same conflict has been going on for more than 15 years, and with it the tragedy of the people living in the midst of it.”

The latest intensification of violence only highlights the need for action in this region, where Felleisen and her team have been dealing with the conflict’s victims on a daily basis.

“The conflict causes people to live in constant fear. Thousands have been displaced for years, long before the most recent fighting,” she says. “In many places, people are still afraid to return to their homes. Many flee multiple times, carrying with them only what they can carry.”

“In one place, people even fled from the hospital because they did not feel safe, which is outrageous! It shows you how deeply rooted the fear is and what a strain it is for people in the Kivus. Naturally, this constant insecurity also makes access to healthcare a huge problem. If you hear gunshots on the streets, of course you think twice before taking the risk to go out to a health centre.”

Felleisen’s work served the area between Goma and Saké, including Kitchanga and Mweso. Here MSF teams try to reach those in need, through rural health posts and mobile clinics.

“In Kitchanga,” she explains, “we erected health posts outside two camps for displaced people where we offer basic health services. The living conditions inside the camps are disastrous. Kitchanga is pretty high in the mountains, where it rains every day and gets really cold. People make do with little huts constructed from banana leaves. Only some were lucky enough to get plastic sheeting. The ground is stony and uneven, and most of the displaced own only the clothes they are wearing.

“The lack of clean water and hygiene facilities is the biggest problem, and as a result we regularly see epidemics — we have treated more than 2,000 cholera patients this year. Efforts to prevent epidemics include health and hygiene education as well as measles vaccination for new arrivals. We see between 100 and 120 patients in both camps every day. We are lucky to have great Congolese staff, but still it is extremely difficult. There is so much to be done and we are lacking partners to assist us with issues like water, sanitation, and nutrition.”

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