Congo-Kinshasa: MSF Teams in Ituri Confront Alarming Brutality Against Women and Children

Doctors Without Borders (MSF) reports a rise in violence in Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Their medical teams are treating civilians with severe injuries. A report released on March 25, 2025, is titled “Risking Their Lives to Survive.” It highlights the urgent needs of communities facing attacks and displacement. Humanitarian aid has also decreased, worsening their suffering.

For decades, people in Ituri have suffered from ongoing conflict. This violence involves ethnic divisions and various armed groups. Many civilians are directly targeted or caught in the crossfire. Access to healthcare is severely limited, making it hard for families to feed themselves. The lack of international attention adds to their struggles.

MSF urges all armed groups in Ituri to protect civilians and healthcare facilities. These facilities are vital for community survival. Since the start of this year, violence has displaced around 100,000 people, according to the UN. In January and February alone, over 200 people were killed and many more injured due to intensified attacks on civilians. MSF treated children as young as four and pregnant women for machete and gunshot wounds after militia assaults.

Alira Halidou, MSF's head of mission in DRC, spoke about the crisis. She noted that repeated violence forces civilians to flee repeatedly. The stories shared by patients only reveal part of the overall situation.

Access to healthcare remains limited in Ituri due to ongoing attacks on health facilities. In Djugu territory, Fataki general hospital had to suspend operations mid-March due to threats from armed groups. This closure leaves thousands without medical care. Nearly half of the healthcare centers in Drodro health zone have been damaged or destroyed and relocated due to violence.

These attacks discourage patients from seeking medical help and endanger medical staff as well. One doctor shared his experience of continuing surgeries despite a two-month shutdown at his health center.

At Salama clinic in Bunia, more than half of the 39 victims treated until mid-March 2025 were women and children. One mother lost her husband and baby during an attack while her four-year-old was injured. Two sisters aged four and sixteen suffered machete wounds along with their pregnant mother who was also severely hurt. A nine-year-old boy was treated for a gunshot wound after witnessing attackers kill his family.

Even when civilians find refuge in displacement camps, they remain unsafe. In September 2024, MSF treated five civilians with bullet wounds after an attack on Plaine Savo camp in Fataki health zone.