Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is deeply concerned by the rapidly worsening situation in the isolated area of Hauts Plateaux in the region of Uvira, South Kivu, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Thousands of civilians are trapped by conflict that has been raging in the area since the beginning of February 2010 between the Congolese army (FARDC), FDLR rebels and various armed groups. Violence against civilians is frequent, but the constant threat to civilians prevents wounded people from reaching the local hospital where an MSF surgical team is working. Currently MSF is the only medical organisation providing direct medical care in the region.

In early February 2010, the intense fighting in Hauts Plateaux forced more than 10,000 people to flee their villages (Kitoga, Mugutu, Birunga, Kangova) and seek refuge in the area of Mukumba. An MSF medical team started providing emergency medical assistance to the displaced families on February 10. Since then, MSF’s team in the village of Kihuha has provided medical care to more than 750 patients suffering mostly from acute diarrhoea and respiratory tract infections. The team has also received dozens of wounded people, including children, in need of emergency surgical care.

“We heard from people who have reached our medical structure that there are many civilians who are afraid to come to the hospital; Clashes between combatants are very fierce and civilians are the direct victims., because they cannot reach the hospital and receive the lifesaving medical assistance they need.

Currently MSF is the only international humanitarian organisation providing direct medical care in Hauts Plateaux. MSF teams face huge challenges in their effort to provide care to the displaced families. “It takes five to six hours on foot to reach our medical base in Kihuha and another two hours from there to reach the hospital in Katanga, where our surgical team is based,” said Steve Avoci, MSF surgeon in Katanga. “It is very isolated here and conditions are very difficult. A few days ago, a patient arrived needing urgent surgical attention. It was a complicated surgery and it was impossible to refer him to another appropriate structure, so an MSF surgeon, based in Bukavu, helped me over the telephone to operate on the wounded patient.”

As the situation in Hauts Plateaux is steadily deteriorating, MSF is gravely concerned over the fate of the thousands of internally displaced people trapped by the conflict. “Wounded civilians are in desperate need of protection and emergency medical assistance. They deserve the right to have unobstructed access to our medical teams,” said Philippe Havet.

MSF is currently working in Kalonge and Kitutu in South Kivu supporting health centres and operating mobile clinics for the provision of primary healthcare and emergency assistance to displaced people and host families. MSF is also supporting health centres, Baraka Hospital and a Cholera Treatment Centre in Fizi targeting the main causes of death and disease (namely malaria, malnutrition, tuberculosis and cholera) with an emphasis on reproductive health. In North Kivu, despite ongoing insecurity and violence, MSF runs medical programmes in Rutshuru, Nyanzale, Masisi, Mweso, and Kitchanga. 76 international staff are working alongside 1144 Congolese colleagues in MSF projects in North and South Kivu.

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