Before the escalation by the M23 rebels in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ndosho Hospital, with a capacity of 146 beds, used to handle the load of patients received, but since Sunday it has had to assist 2,337 gun-wounded patients. In addition to their physical pain, many wounded have lost all contact with their loved ones.
For almost three decades, the people of the DRC have not known peace. The country has been rendered a battlefield for ethnic, mineral and rebel competition, a confluence of issues that have left many dead or displaced and people’s destinies hamstrung.
The war came to the doorstep of South Africa last month when it was initially announced nine SA soldiers on a peacekeeping mission had been attacked by the M23 in the city of Goma. A total of 14 soldiers have died. This sparked a diplomatic debacle in the form of a spat between Rwandan president Paul Kagame and President Cyril Ramaphosa over Rwanda’s support of the rebel group.
The soldiers are yet to be repatriated back to the country, with reports their bodies are decomposing as the mortuary has run out of diesel.
When a child is evacuated by motorcycle for hours so he can be treated, it is worrying. When a health centre sees its operating theatre destroyed after heavy artillery clashes, it is worrying.
— Patrick Youssef, International Committee of the Red Cross regional director for Africa
On Tuesday Patrick Youssef, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) regional director for Africa, painted a grim picture of the humanitarian situation that has unfolded since the escalation, reiterating that health-care facilities are overwhelmed and catering to 10 times higher volumes of patients.
He said since the beginning of January to Sunday, 1,348 wounded patients, 825 of them civilians, were received in the ICRC health-care structure. Another 1,000 were received at Ndosho Hospital.
“If a few weeks ago the team was treating more weapon bearers than civilians, the trend has been balanced. When a child is evacuated by motorcycle for hours so he can be treated, it is worrying. When a health centre sees its operating theatre destroyed after heavy artillery clashes, it is worrying.
“When medical staff have to flee, no longer able to treat the patients present, it is worrying. The ICRC urges that parties to conflicts must do more to minimise the impact of hostilities on the civilian population and protect them. The precautionary principle should not be optional,” said Youssef.
The humanitarian organisation that is also providing humanitarian relief in conflicts in Sudan, the Sahel region, the Lake Chad region and the Central African Republic said it was concerned the escalation in the city centre has left behind bodies.
Youssef said after electricity and water cuts, medical facilities have encountered difficulties in guaranteeing the hygiene standards necessary for infection control, with some hospitals seeing patients on respiratory assistance die.
“Under the whistling of bullets, they sometimes have no choice but to take shelter in hospitals or humanitarian organisations' bases. They are terrified and live in extremely precarious conditions,” he said.
“Others had to suspend surgeries because they did not have the means to power the patient's monitoring equipment, light the operating rooms or sterilise the equipment. In some cases, the cold chain has been interrupted for drug stocks and morgues. Families who have remained holed up and terrified in their homes lack food and water.”
Asked what their position was on the dialogue between Rwanda and the DRC, he said the organisation does not get involved in political issues. However, “the ICRC remains deeply concerned about the fate of the populations affected by the fighting. We encourage any action, whether humanitarian, political or diplomatic, to alleviate or limit their suffering.”
On whether they are worried the situation can grow worse, Youssef said the number of wounded civilians is worrying and the ICRC fears the situation will deteriorate in the coming days.
He said health centres on the ground can no longer meet the demand.
“There is overcrowding of medical facilities, with a cruel lack of medical supplies to meet the needs of the wounded, specially as warehouses are looted by populations desperate to meet their needs. On January 28 and 29, the ICRC warehouse in Goma was emptied of its stock of medicines, generators and vehicles. Resupply will take time, but the needs of patients do not wait.
“Medical facilities were destroyed or hit by heavy artillery. Medical staff are forced to flee because they can no longer treat the patients present, or simply want to save their lives. We record medical staff wounded by bullets when they have chosen to stay for treatment.
“Many wounded have lost all contact with their loved ones. Where possible, the ICRC tries to reunite families separated by the fighting, including the wounded to whom we provide means of communication so that they can inform their families of their condition and whereabouts.”
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