Once again, almost all the beds in ICRC-supported hospitals are full. “The health crisis resulting from Ebola hasn’t reduced the number of conflict-related emergency cases. Our surgical teams are under constant pressure, with a steady stream of weapon-wounded patients,” explains Moussa Badji, the ICRC’s medical coordinator in the DRC.
In a sign of intensifying hostilities in the Hauts Plateaux, the hospitals in Bukavu, Uvira and Fizi, in South Kivu, have admitted 170 casualties – 56% of the 303 patients admitted to ICRC-supported facilities.
The current Ebola epidemic – the seventeenth to date – is worsening the vulnerability of people already affected by armed conflict, other violence, displacement and the limited availability of essential services.
“I just don’t know where I’m going to go when I’m released from hospital,”
explains Nzigire, who was admitted to Bukavu General Provincial Hospital in South Kivu after suffering serious injuries during clashes in her village.
“There’s still fighting going on, and everyone has had to leave my village.”
Ebola is adding to the distress and anxiety, placing yet another burden on communities whose resilience is already stretched to the limit. Pascal is a patient at Beni General Referral Hospital, North Kivu. He’s feeling powerless: “I’m already injured. Getting Ebola doesn’t bear thinking about. We’re already suffering a great deal of distress. Then there’s the hunger, displacement, lack of sleep …”
The parties to the conflicts in the Kivus are using explosive weapons in populated areas, with grave consequences for civilians. In addition to the death and injury these weapons bring, explosive remnants of war are creating a hazard in agricultural areas and elsewhere. Over 16% of patients in ICRC-supported hospitals have been injured by an explosion.
The spread of Ebola in areas affected by fighting may further degrade access, highlighting the importance of maintaining space for humanitarian action and of protecting patients and responders from harm.
François Moreillon heads the ICRC delegation in the DRC: “The combination of armed conflict and an epidemic is potentially devastating,” he warns. “In such a critical situation, it is essential that the parties to the conflicts act responsibly, to ensure cooperation and optimum coordination on health matters, the taking of all possible measures to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations and the rapid, unimpeded delivery of humanitarian assistance. These measures are essential if the sick and wounded are to receive appropriate medical care as quickly as possible.”
The ICRC’s response in the Kivus between January and May 2026
Caring for people who have suffered weapon wounds
Almost 1,400 people with weapon wounds received treatment at the five hospitals the ICRC is supporting in the Kivus: Beni General Referral Hospital and Goma CBCA Ndosho Hospital (North Kivu). Bukavu General Provincial Referral Hospital, Uvira General Referral Hospital and Fizi General Referral Hospital (South Kivu).
Protecting family links, in collaboration with the Red Cross Societies of the DRC, Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda
- 166 Congolese children reunited with their families, including 99 children in the Kivus
- 4,045 free phone calls organized for separated families in the Kivus, Burundi and Uganda. 2,660 calls resulted in family members restoring contact.
Assistance to children who have left armed forces/armed groups, or who were at risk of being recruited
- Obtained the release of 54 teenagers (aged between 9 and 19 years old) from a place of detention in North Kivu; 47 of them were reunited with their families.
- 28 children returned to school in Rutshuru and Masisi, North Kivu, after receiving school supplies.
- 2 children benefited from socio-economic reinsertion programmes in Rutshuru and Masisi, North Kivu.
Food and financial assistance, in collaboration with the DRC Red Cross
- 20,430 people (displaced persons and host families) living in the Kivus received financial assistance so they could buy food and basic necessities.
- 900 people (displaced persons and host families) living in the Kivus received young fish and toolkits, enabling them to resume fish farming.
- 240 vulnerable people (victims of sexual and other forms of violence) living in the Kivus received financial assistance so they could meet their immediate needs.
Water and habitat
- 40 children received rehabilitation services at a reception centre in Goma, North Kivu.
- Over 3,400 inmates of the central prisons in Beni and Butembo, North Kivu, benefited from the provision of chlorine to prevent infections and combat infectious diseases.
- Some 27,200 people benefited from the installation of solar-powered water systems and water distribution points in Mbau, Mavivi and Congo ya Sika, North Kivu.
- Some 57,200 people benefited from the installation of water points in Kalehe Centre, Kalehe Littoral and Buziralo, South Kivu.
- The water authority (REGIDESO, Uvira) received donations of water-processing materials and chemicals.
- A large number of people who had suffered weapon wounds, together with other patients, benefited from the renovation and installation of water, plumbing and electrical systems, plus additional tents, at ICRC-supported hospitals in Beni, Uvira and Fizi.
For more information, please contact:
Robert Mwimuka, ICRC Goma, tel: +243 812256360, email: rmwimuka@icrc.org
Francine Kongolo, ICRC Kinshasa, tel: +243 81 992 23 28, email: fkongolo@icrc.org
Eléonore Asomani, ICRC Dakar, tel: +221 78 186 46 87, email: easomani@icrc.org
We acknowledge Source link for the information.
