Geneva/Kinshasa (ICRC) – Staff of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have treated three women injured in the deadly attacks of 29 November in the North Kivu town of Eringeti. The women were treated at Ndosho Hospital in Goma.
"It is extremely worrying that a local clinic was targeted and civilians killed. Dozens of people lost their lives. A health-care worker and several patients – including a baby – were executed in cold blood," said Alessandra Menegon, head of the ICRC's delegation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
The ICRC is deeply concerned about the climate of fear and violence that has reigned for several months in the area. The attack on the clinic and the severe damage to its facilities have deprived an estimated 35,000 people of access to health care, and many have fled their homes in recent weeks.
The ICRC reminds those involved in the fighting that attacks against civilians and civilian property, such as health-care facilities, are flagrant violations of international humanitarian law. Civilians and health-care workers must be afforded the respect and protection accorded them by law.
For further information, please contact:
Elisabeth Cloutier, ICRC Goma, tel: +243 81 700 77 86
Patrick Mégevend, ICRC Kinshasa, tel: +243 81 700 85 36
Claire-Aude Kaplun, ICRC Geneva, tel: +41 79 244 6405