Goma, the capital of North Kivu, in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is trying to return, laboriously, to normal after a background of clashes and violence that have thrown the city into chaos and fear. The Ribelle Ribelle M23 (March 23), which fights against the government army, gradually took control of the whole city and the armed forces of Kinshasa have flared. Goma remained for days without electric current and drinking water, isolated. And now one of the biggest fears is that of the spread of new epidemics, as confirmed by doctors without borders.
“Our medical-humanitarian activities take place at the Kyeshero hospital, Where we are receiving the yellow and green cases, less serious, in support of the hospital in the Ndosho district, where the teams of the International Committee of the Red Cross work “, he explains Marco Doneda, deputy chipomission of MSF. «In these days we are trying to keep the supplies of more urgent equipment and medical material, such as blood bags. Unfortunately, due to the large amount of weapons that have remained on the ground, abandoned, in the city, there is still great insecurity and there have been several looting, for example at the warehouse of the world food program “.
The Kyeshero hospital, located in the western part of the city, where before the offensive doctors without borders took care of the malnourished children coming mainly from the refugee camps on the outskirts of the city, in recent days it has been overwhelmed by the number of injuries. The teams of the organization, who had to re -read their intervention by implementing a plan for the management of massive influences of injured, are doing their best to treat everyone, but there are no medicine and health personnel, especially specialized in surgery. At the beginning, the MSF teams received patients injured by splinters but then they arrived mainly wounded by bullets, often wandering, because they were near the fighting without being able to protect or affected even at home, because the shots crossed the wooden walls of the homes.
The MSF teams managed to get to some refugee camps west of the city. Most of the settlements began to be dismantled and the displaced people were asked by the M23 to return to their villages. Many have poured into the city, where they revive in absolute precariousness and in terrible hygienic-sanitary conditions.
(Photo by Michel Lunanga: Kyeshero hospital)
